


Four-Leaf Clover

by swanjonhesonice



Series: FOUR-LEAF CLOVER [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Endgame Evie/Mal (Disney), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Evie/Mal (Disney)-centric, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'M RATING IT TEEN AND UP BECAUSE THERE'S SWEARING, M/M, Minor Jay/Carlos de Vil, bonding moments for malvie, don't worry it will have fluff, enough with the tags i hope y'all enjoy i will update as soon as i can, established jaylos and huma, mal's impulse ass got her in this position lmao it's really funny, modern AU -ish ??? imma tag modern with magic because imma keep that, uma is a little shit here i'm sorry i need someone to put fuel to the fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-04-06 06:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14051055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanjonhesonice/pseuds/swanjonhesonice
Summary: Four-leaf clovernoun1.	a clover leaf having four leaflets instead of the usual three, purported to bring good luck.(MALVIE/MEVIE MULTICHAPTER)





	1. Dangerous Woman

**Author's Note:**

> If you happen to read it, please let me know what you think? That would be very appreciated :) x

“Why the hell would I ever do that?” Mal scowled, throwing her phone on the bed.

 

“…Because it’s our last week of summer holiday, it’s going to be fun and you’re the only one who has a ride that will get us all there at once.” Jay voice came from the phone that was on speaker, calm and teasing. Mal could hear his smirk.

 

“Then come by and I’ll lend you the damn car. Carlos is the only one who can’t drive.”

 

“Oh, c’mon Mal-”

 

“Gil and I aren’t friends, I only tolerate Harry, nobody likes Uma and I despise the beach.” Mal flatly pointed out.

 

“It’s Uma’s beach house Mal. Harry’s her boyfriend and Gil’s their friend. Those were the terms and we only agreed because we want to end summer vacation with a bang and because we thought you’d come and we’d have fun. Please? If not for anything else, for me and Carlos.” Jay was serious. Jay and Carlos loved Mal like a sister and they’d probably give up the idea if Mal refused to tag along. Mal closed her eyes, took a deep and long breath before answering Jay.

 

“Ugh, fine when do we leave?”

 

“You’re the best Mal! We leave in the afternoon if you can be ready by then.”

 

“Ok, meet me here in two hours, you all better be ready or you’re walking there. Bye.”

 

“Wait Mal I- “

 

But Mal had already hung up and raced to get everything ready. Not that she really wanted to go, but Mal always kept her promises.

 

And two hours later, Mal was leaning on her mother’s van, big enough for everyone, cursing to herself. Jay and Carlos were the first to arrive and Mal couldn’t understand how they were still able to hold hands given the amount of stuff they were bringing.

 

“Might as well bring the whole house.” Mal snickered.

 

“That’s what I said! But my cute boyfriend said we needed everything in here.” Jay answered with a smirk.

 

“You’ll see I’m right.” Carlos chirped.

 

“Nice van!”

 

Uma’s voice echoed in the street as she arrived with her cocky smirk right into place, Harry walking by her side holding her hand and both followed by Gil.

 

“Ye don’t have to shout all the time.” Harry pointed out in his thick Scottish accent.

 

“Oh, did I shout?” Uma was clearly unbothered.

 

“Just a wee.” Harry smirked back.

 

“Just get in the damn van.” Mal growled. Jay and Carlos already had their things on the trunk and the newly arrived trio followed.

 

“Relax Mal. We can’t go yet.” Uma answered. Her cocky smile did not leave her side and Mal did not like how she looked like she was about to steal candy from a baby.

 

“And why’s that?” Mal asked.

 

“Am I too late?”

 

A seventh voice echoed and Mal shot deathly glares at each and every one of them.

 

“ _You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._ ”

 

Mal always thought the one thing she didn’t have and would never have was luck. It just wasn’t her thing. And this fine summer evening was proving her right once more. She might have a strong dislike for Uma and for people in general, but the blue haired girl that strutted in her direction and was now looking at her with cold eyes was not someone she disliked. Evie was someone Mal **hated**. And Evie hated her back.

 

“You’re our ride? Shit I’d rather walk all the way there” Evie coldly stated.

 

“No one’s stopping you princess.” Mal spat back, sounding almost like she was growling.

 

Mal looked back to see Gil comfortably tucked in the last seat in the back of the van and the two couples sitting next to each other, occupying the remaining four backseats, staring at both girls. Gil and Carlos looked scared, Jay and Harry looked sympathetic and Uma had that stupid smirk plastered all over her face.

 

“Jay, I’m going to kill you!” Mal yelled.

 

“Next time, try not to hung up on me before I finish talking.” Jay threw his hands in the air in defeat.

 

“Maybe you should’ve started with that piece of information so I could tell you all to fuck right off!” Mal yelled again.

 

Only then Mal realized that the only remaining seat was the passenger’s seat. Of course.

 

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Mal cursed under her breath. She looked back to the blue haired girl who was in the middle of shooting her own deathly glares at Carlos and Jay.

 

“Hey, blueberry. You either get in or you walk there.” Mal sighted angrily and entered the car. Evie stood there for a few seconds and Mal started the van and opened the window.

 

“I will leave you here.” Mal warned.

 

“Oh, like you left me on that closet?” Evie spat.

 

“You deserved it!” Mal hissed back.

 

“It’s not my fault our mothers hate each other!” Evie raised her voice, her anger building up inside.

 

“It’s not my fault you hated me enough to do nothing about it!” Mal started yelling all together, raging way faster than Evie ever could. Biting her tongue was never Mal’s strong suit.

 

“I was six, you lunatic!” Evie yelled back.

 

“I did lock you inside a damn closet out of spite, so yeah I might be lunatic, but at least I don’t judge my friends over who their parents are, or who they like or dislike, or else I wouldn’t have friends at all! I had nothing against you! Just admit you hated me and didn’t want me there!”

 

“I…” Evie realized she didn’t have an answer for that statement. Never once Evie gave an actual thought about her sixth birthday party like that. She always told herself it was her mother’s decision and that she couldn’t have done anything about it? But was that true? If Evie had asked her mother nicely, would’ve she let little Evie invite Mal?

 

“Listen, you either get in or don’t. Take a fucking cab, hell, walk there or do me one better and don’t come at all, see how many fucks I give.” Mal was not yelling anymore but sounded emotionally tired. She pressed the pedal and the van’s engine roared. Mal’s usual rudeness pulled Evie out of her thoughts so she sighted, defeated, threw her stuff in the trunk and stepped inside the passenger’s seat, slamming the door.

 

“Hey! Do that again and I’ll throw you out!” Mal hissed.

 

“Maybe that’s not a bad idea.” Evie crossed her arms annoyed.

 

“Maybe it’s not. I’d love to see you land on those things you walk on.” Mal snickered.

 

“Just drive.” Evie sighted.

 

“Who died and crowned you queen?” Mal clapped back.

 

Evie didn’t answer this time, turning her face to the side. Mal looked through the rear-view mirror to see everyone but Uma, who looked like Christmas came early, silently begging for her to drive. So, drive she did.

 

Within fifteen minutes on the road which were filled with a palpable tense atmosphere, Uma decided to break the silence.

 

“So Mal, is this van yours?”

 

“No.” Mal simply answered.

 

“Are you allowed to take it?” Gil innocently asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“She doesn’t want to talk, leave her alone.” Harry sighted. Mal tolerated Harry because he had moments like these.

 

“But sitting here in silence is no fun Harry.” Uma winked at him.

 

“You know what’s fun?” Mal asked. Uma raised an eyebrow.

 

Mal opened the glove box, not caring one bit for the fact that Evie was sitting right there still facing the window, clearly annoyed and some other emotion that Mal didn’t bother to decipher and grabbed a tiny remote.

 

“This little button here. See you in three hours.” Mal let her own smirk fall into place and clicked the magic button.

 

“Hey wait, Mal!” Carlos yelled, but it was no use. There was now an opaque barrier between the two girls in the front and the rest of them in the back.

 

Mal sighted loudly and threw the remote back into the glove box. Evie didn’t move in the slightest and Mal couldn’t help but wonder what was going through the girl’s mind. Probably planning Mal’s death. The ride became silent once more and just when Mal was starting to enjoy it, Evie spoke.

 

“Why did you do that?” she asked. Mal didn’t take her eyes of the road but she definitely heard the curious note in Evie’s question.

 

“This beauty is sound proof and I happen to like Uma better when she’s not talking.” Mal answered, pointing back.

 

“You don’t like her.” Evie said, more to herself than to Mal.

 

“No, I do not.” Mal confirmed. She wasn’t sure why the hell she was having a conversation with Evie, of all people, especially after the screaming fight they had not so long ago. Well maybe because she was stuck with her for the next three hours inside a van. Yeah that was it.

 

“Then why did you come?”

 

“Do you always ask so many questions?” Mal huffed.

 

Evie looked away again. Was that a frown that Mal was seeing?

 

“Jay and Carlos.” Mal answered, unwilling to deal with any sort of emotions. She usually didn’t deal with her own, let alone other’s, let alone Evie’s.

 

Evie’s eyes were on Mal again.

 

“Me too.”

 

Mal nodded.

 

Evie’s eyes lingered a little longer on Mal before shifting to the road. Mal, for some unholy reason started to feel uncomfortable with the silence so she turned on the radio, trying not to dwell on it too much. Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande filled the void successfully, as it was one of Mal’s favorites.

 

“Oh, I love this song!”

 

Mal was taken by surprise by Evie. For a number of reasons.

 

“You do?” Mal managed to ask, shocked they actually had something in common.

 

Evie grinned, like she suddenly forgot she was talking to Mal and started singing along. And Mal had to pick up her jaw from the floor because the girl could sing, and what a beautiful voice she had. For a moment, Mal forgot that the girl sitting on her passenger’s seat was the human being she hated the most and let herself enjoy Evie’s siren like singing voice with just the right amount of rasp and sweetness. Mal found her voice very fitting into the annoying bubbly princess thing Evie had going on.

 

And moments later, Mal found herself joining Evie for the chorus. Evie didn’t even blink, but her insides twisted horribly when Mal’s bright voice made its entrance and turned out to be a perfect fit, harmonizing beautifully, creating the most uplifting contrast with Evie’s lower voice tone. Plus, Mal could sing? That beautiful voice was really coming out of Mal’s lips? Mal, the grumpy, rude teenager Evie hated so much?

 

Those thoughts didn’t stop the girls from singing through the whole song, effortlessly harmonizing and completing each other in ways that only professionally trained singers with their fair share of practice and voice lessons would do and none of them could ignore that they sounded pretty damn good together, so they smiled, to themselves and to each other. Mal belted Ariana’s high note on that last chorus without breaking a sweat and Evie held her ground by harmonizing on Mal’s every word until the very end. And the end of the song brought them back to reality. They hated each other.

 

The next song came in and the girls silently agreed not to mention this to anyone. And they didn’t say another word to each other for the entire trip. Mal drove quietly, never once taking her eyes off the road and keeping herself from singing every time a song she liked came on the radio, because it seemed like every song Mal enjoyed, Evie enjoyed as well. Evie couldn’t help herself and would bop, hum and when she really liked the song, she would sing along.

 

So, Mal pretended not to show any kind of excitement and pretended not to enjoy every time Evie sang something. The keyword was ‘pretend’, because Mal realized she liked to hear Evie sing, not that she would ever admit it. At least it was better than Evie talking or existing in any other way.

 

The hellish ride to the beach finally came to an end and as soon as Mal parked the van, she jumped out of it, not wanting to be next to Evie another second.

 

“We’re here! Chop chop losers!” Mal yelled, clapping her hands.

 

Everyone got out, stretching and yawning, clearly tired from the three-hour drive. It was night time already so technically the day was over for them. They took their belongings out of the trunk and waited.

 

“What is everyone waiting for?” Gil asked confused.

 

Mal grumbled something and took a deep breath.

 

“Hurry the fuck up, you sea witch!” Mal yelled to the back of the van making everyone but Evie laugh. Uma was taking her sweet ass time taking her stuff out of Mal’s van, god knows why. When she finally joined the group she still had that sick smirk of hers that was annoying Mal almost as much as Evie’s mere presence.

 

“If you don’t change expression you might just stay like that” Mal grumbled loud enough to earn a laugh from Jay and Carlos. Uma chose to ignore them.

 

“This way folks!”

 

Uma walked them to the beach house. She was leading the group with Harry by her side and Gil shortly behind. Jay and Carlos didn’t get to hold hands because Mal grabbed Jay’s arm aggressively and pulled him to the very back of the group, leaving Carlos and Evie to walk behind Gil.

 

“Why did you invite her? Why didn’t you tell me you invited her? Do you actually hate me that much?” Mal asked, not bothering to lower her voice.

 

“Because we’re really good friends with her, because me and Carlos are tired of having to split our time between the two of you and you know I love you like a sister and so does Carlos, please stop acting like a baby. We’re not asking you to like each other even thought we’d love that, but at the very least be polite.” Jay also didn’t care that he was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

Mal felt her chest tight. She loved both Jay and Carlos very much. Jay was the protective big brother she never had and Carlos was the sweet younger brother she was fiercely defensive over.

 

“Fine.” Mal agreed.

 

“Just like that?” Jay raised an eyebrow.

 

“If it makes you happy, I’ll behave.” Mal answered truthfully. Jay smiled widely.

 

“Thanks Mal.”

 

“We’re here!” Harry announced excitedly.

 

Mal hated the beach and was dying with how hot it was outside even though it was night, but she couldn’t hate on the big wooden house in front of her. It was truly beautiful. As soon as they stepped inside, Uma turned the air conditioner on and for a few seconds Mal didn’t hate her as much.

 

“So, now that we’re here.” Uma started and the smirk creeped in once more.

 

“Yes?” Mal immediately reacted.

 

“There are three rooms.” Uma continued.

 

“Uh oh.” Carlos whispered to Jay.

 

“All three of them have double beds.”

 

“Fuck my entire life.” Mal cursed under her breath and grabbed her stuff.

 

“Where are ye going?” Harry asked, confused.

 

“Oh, c’mon, we all know how this is going to go, the two couples get a room and Gil will take the couch because I’m not sharing a bed with him and neither will the princess.” Mal pointed vaguely to where Evie stood, with one of her perfect eyebrows raised at Mal.

 

“It’s not like I’d do anything wrong.” Gil defended himself.

 

“I’m not sleeping with you Gil, we’re not even friends.” Mal flatly replied not even looking at him. He looked at Evie.

 

“Sorry pal, not sleeping with you either. It’s not personal.” Evie said. She wasn’t fond of sharing a room with Mal for the next week or so, but she wasn’t being a hateful bitch about it and she had a point. Evie was not sleeping with Gil, not happening.

 

“This was easier than I expected.” Carlos commented.

 

And with that, after helping Gil opening the daybed, everyone went to their respective rooms.

 

Mal literally threw her stuff on the floor as soon as she stepped inside. Evie followed, turning on the light and shutting the door, placing her stuff next to the bed.

 

“Thanks for not being a bitch about this.” Evie said.

 

“Yeah, I’m not doing this for you.” Mal promptly answered.

 

“I didn’t think you were.” Evie murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

Mal sat on the opposite side of the bed, her back facing Evie’s.

 

“So, you like Ariana Grande too, uh?” Mal commented.

 

“Yeah.” Evie answered, a small smile creeping in. “And you can sing.” She added.

 

“Yeah, so can you.” Mal pointed out.

 

Evie didn’t think Mal would bring up their moment ever again, yet there they were. In fact, nothing about this was making much sense. Mal always had a snarky comment or a rude remark saved for Evie.

 

“Why are you playing nice?” Evie asked.

 

“Why are _you_ playing nice?” Mal answered Evie’s question with her own. Evie was not as intense as Mal but she was never friendly with her.

 

“I asked first.” Evie answered.

 

“Jay told me he and Carlos are tired of splitting their time between the two of us. I care a lot about them and their feelings matter to me, not that you care, so I’ll behave.” Mal didn’t exactly know why she was telling Evie all this but since she was stuck with her for a week, might as well be honest.

 

Mal couldn’t see it but Evie smiled.

 

“Didn’t know you had feelings.” Evie commented, avoiding her initial idea of complimenting Mal for her gesture.

 

“You don’t know me.” Mal simply answered.

 

“You’re right, I don’t. You ruined that opportunity.” Evie didn’t exactly think before she answered and she realized it a little too late.

 

“You ruined it way before I did my part but go off I guess.” Mal mumbled. Mal wasn’t in the mood to be angry. She was tired from the drive and she promised Jay.

 

Evie didn’t answer. Was Mal right?

 

None of them were in the mood for more talking so, quietly, they changed to their pajamas, sorted their stuff and got into bed, back to back, as far away from each other as they could. Mal turned off the light and only then she realized Evie never answered her question.

 

A few seconds passed before Evie spoke.

 

“Good night Mal.”

 

Mal wasn’t expecting that. For unknown reasons, she found herself answering.

 

“Good night Evie.”

 

Both girls then realized it was the very first time they addressed each other by their names and not by the usual rude nicknames.

 

Could that mean something was about to change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first multichapter malvie/mevie fic! I actually was inspired by a conversation I had with a huge friend of mine (@littlemisssunny on Tumblr, I insist to have her mentioned) about malvie of course because we're trash and I ended up picking up on it and writing about it. I hope you all enjoy it and see you next chapter :) x


	2. Flicker

Mal hated a lot of things. Like a lot. And being woken up in the middle of the night was one of them. Mal refused to open her eyes as she could feel them burning from the excessive amount of light and tried to roll over to the other side. It couldn’t possibly be morning already. And if it was, Mal was going to ignore it aggressively. But when she rolled over, she realized she was too comfortable. She forced her eyes to open and she found herself alone in the middle of the bed. She then sat up on it, took her purple hair out of the way and looked around for the source of the blasted light that woke her up. Mal had to blink a few times out of confusion and surprise when she looked over to the window. The curtains were wide open, revealing the bright full moon. And just below the window there was Evie, leaning on the wall and wrapped in a blanket that Mal realized was missing from the bed. She was never cold so she didn’t notice it’s absence. But the excruciatingly brightness of the moon reminded Mal of just how annoyed she was from being awake at such an unholy hour. She hopped from the bed and used her hand to block the light.

 

“What the **_hell_**?” Mal groaned, her voice croaky but still loud enough to startle the blue haired girl, who definitely wasn’t fully asleep. Evie looked up to find a very unhappy Mal staring at her.

 

“What the hell?” Mal asked again, pointing to the window with her free hand.

 

“Couldn’t sleep.” Evie’s voice sounded tired and really not in the mood.

 

“Ok and you thought sleeping against a wall on the floor was going to help? I mean sure, whatever floats your boat, but still doesn’t explain why I was almost blinded in the middle of the night.” Mal groaned.

 

“Like I said. Couldn’t sleep.” Evie flatly repeated herself.

 

“Ok you know what, I don’t have time for this.” Mal sighted, making her way to the curtains.

 

“No! Please stop!” Evie raised her voice suddenly and Mal was startled and stepped back.

 

“What is wrong with you!?” Mal asked exasperated, throwing both hands in the air in defeat. There was no use in covering her face anymore, as she was now wide awake.

 

“Just...I’m sorry, I’ll sleep elsewhere. I’m sorry I woke you up.” Evie mumbled getting up.

 

That’s when it finally clicked for Mal. Evie wasn’t just sleeping on the floor, she was sleeping on the floor next to the window, a wide-open window, shedding light all over the room. Evie was afraid of the dark.

 

“Wait.” Mal stopped Evie from taking another step. Evie tilted her head in confusion like a puppy would, and for a second there, Mal found herself admiring the tiny gesture. She shook her head, trying to snap out of it.

 

“You uhh...do you…are you-“ Mal pointed to the moon, to the floor, to the blanket, to the bed, like her hand movement or the objects were going to complete the question for her. Mal had a theory on why Evie was afraid of the dark and was praying to every god and saint that it wasn’t true.

 

Evie didn’t need Mal to finish her question. Mal already figured it out, she just couldn’t verbalize it, god knows why. So, she nodded, slowly and looked down, embarrassed that she was admitting this to Mal, of all people. And then she felt angry. Angry at herself for letting such a thing slip. Mal was so going to mock her like there was no tomorrow. Yes, Evie would never hear the end of it.

 

“I-“ Mal mumbled.

 

“Don’t pretend like you care.” Evie snapped.

 

“I don’t.” Mal firmly answered.

 

“Then go back to sleep.”

 

Mal sighted, purple locks covering part of her face and one hand rubbing her forehead, like she was having a migraine. Mal almost felt like it, that light was really driving her insane. And Evie picked up on it. Mal’s eyes were bright green. Bright eyes usually had a hard time with excessive amounts of light. It wasn’t just the annoyance, it was really bothering Mal. Evie felt guilty for a second.

 

Evie walked to the door.

 

“Where are you going?” Mal asked.

 

“To find somewhere else to sleep. You clearly can’t with all this light.” Evie stated the obvious.

 

“No shit sherlock.” Mal scoffed under her breath and closed her eyes, trying to think. To Evie it looked like Mal was trying to make a decision. A few moments later she grabbed her bag, walked to the door and opened it.

 

“Stay here.” Mal asked.

 

She didn’t wait for Evie’s answer and snuck out of the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. The last thing she wanted was to wake up the rest of the gang.

 

Evie didn’t exactly know why she listened to Mal and stayed put, sitting on the bed. Maybe because she was too tired to protest. Yes, that was it. A few moments later Mal came back, closing the door slowly. Then she stared at Evie and there was a hint of surprise in her eyes, probably because she didn’t expect Evie to listen to her.

 

“Will uhm…will this help?” Mal asked, only now realizing that it was dumb to assume it would without actually asking. What was she thinking? And why was she trying to help Evie? Oh right, she wanted some fucking sleep. That was it. Nothing more.

 

Evie looked at what Mal was holding. She was holding a hand full of candles.

 

“I mean, I always carry a bunch of these in my van and they were, uhh, they were just there so I figured it would be better than waking up everyone and you know, stuff.” Mal started rambling, more to herself than to Evie, like she was trying to justify her own actions.

 

Evie was taken by surprise, really. Mal not only wasn’t actively mocking her but was also trying to help. Things Evie didn’t think Mal was capable of. She couldn’t help but smile at the girl who was visibly starting to look distressed, given the long silent pause.

 

“Yes. That will help. Thank you.” Evie answered, honestly.

 

Mal nodded and her eyes darted around the room.

 

“So, uhm where do you want them?” Mal asked.

 

“I just need one. On my bedside table.” Evie pointed to her side of the bed, still holding a tiny smile for the purple haired girl who furred her eyebrows.

 

“One is enough? Are you sure?”

 

Evie’s smile widened a bit.

 

“I’m sure.”

 

Mal threw the candles inside her bag, took a candle holder out and placed the candle on it.

 

“Wait, we don’t have matches.” Evie suddenly spoke.

 

The tiniest of smirks creeped in on Mal’s lips as she moved to place the candle on Evie’s bedside table. She then patted the bed, asking Evie to sit there, next to where Mal was standing. Evie complied, slightly confused.

 

“We don’t need matches.” Mal informed her.

 

“We don’t?”

 

“Watch.” Mal allowed the smirk to widen.

 

And with a flicker of Mal’s wrist, the candle was now lit and the little flame was dancing, almost like it was happy to be of use. Evie had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop herself from gasping to loud.

 

“How did you- “

 

“Just a little something I inherited from my mother.” Mal shrugged.

 

Lighting a candle was not a big deal for Mal, but Evie’s eyes were glowing almost as much as the flame itself.

 

“I knew your mother could do it, I just didn’t know you could.” Evie whispered looking at the candle with such respect.

 

“Uhm yeah I haven’t told anyone. Not even my mother.” Mal was punching herself. She really used magic in front of Evie? She really used magic to help Evie?

 

Evie’s eyes quickly left the flame to stare at Mal.

 

“What? And you told **_me_**?”

 

“Don’t get cocky.” Mal crossed her arms and Evie could see she was getting defensive. “But don’t you dare tell anyone or I might have to kill you.”

 

Evie was just now realizing how big this was. No matter how complicated their ‘relationship’ was, Evie would never tell anyone about Mal’s magic. Not that she cared but she wouldn’t.

 

“Of course, as long as you don’t blab about…you know.” Evie answered.

 

Mal figured it was fair. Not that she was ever going to mention Evie’s fear of the dark to anyone, anyway. Not that she cared or anything.

 

“I won’t. Now can I close that damn window? I’m literally dying, I think I might be a vampire.” Mal groaned.

 

“Vampires burn in the sunlight Mal.” Evie stated.

 

“The moonlight is basically sunlight that is reflected from the parts of the moon's surface where the sunlight strikes. So, technically, same thing, Evie.” Mal quickly answered, before closing the curtains. “Whew! Much better.”

 

“It’s not the same thing, because it’s a reflection and not the direct sunlight. It’s like looking in a mirror. What you see doesn’t exactly match the reality. It’s about perception.” Evie proudly countered.

 

“Mirrors. Right, you’d know a lot about that. The source of the light is the same. So, it’s the same thing.” Mal stubbornly insisted.

 

“But- “

 

“We’re so _not_ doing this.” Mal interrupted, slipping inside the bed, her back facing Evie, trying to placate the apparently incredibly smart girl who was more than ready to fight her about this in the middle of the night.

 

“You started it.” Evie pointed out.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure _you_ did.” Mal replied.

 

“ _You_ did.”

 

 

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Good few hours of sleep we still have left.” Mal sighted.

 

Evie fetched the blanket from the floor and got into bed, her eyes lazily focused on the candle right in front of her. The little flame gave her a warn fuzzy feeling and the sense of safety she needed to fall asleep at night.

 

“Mal?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Thanks. For the candle, I mean.” Evie blurted out. Evie wanted to thank Mal for more than the candle though. That was the best conversation they ever had, and Evie found herself enjoying Mal’s company for the very first time. Could she even call it bonding?

 

“It’s whatever I guess.” Mal dumbly replied. When did she lost her ability to create coherent sentences? She was fine just a few moments ago. She had a civil conversation with Evie and Mal didn’t hate it. Why didn’t Mal hate it?

 

 

//

 

 

Mal and Evie were forced to wake up, indeed a few hours later, by Uma’s alarm which she decided to connect to her speaker. Mal’s head was pounding as she got up and opened the door.

 

“TURN THAT SHIT OFF YOU OBNOXIOUS LITTLE WITCH!” Mal yelled at the top of her lungs from the doorstep startling Evie even more. Jay came out of his door, clearly annoyed.

 

“What the hell Uma!?” Jay protested.

 

Uma’s head peaked from the living room.

 

“In case you all forgot, we have a ton of things to do today. So, move your lazy asses at once.” Uma chirped, disappearing.

 

“What is happening?”

 

“Mal?”

 

Both Carlos and Evie showed up behind Jay and Mal still half asleep. The boys couldn’t help but notice the lack of usual annoyance and Evie addressing Mal by her name but other than that Jay didn’t waste any time on pulling Carlos for a good morning kiss.

 

“Really? Right in front of my salad?” Mal teased them with a knowing smirk.

 

They both gave her the middle finger and kissed even harder, both moaning in each other’s mouths and trying not to burst out laughing.

 

“Will you gay mother fuckers go back to the bed you slept on?” Mal said laughing. Another thing Evie thought Mal didn’t know how to do.

 

“We can’t apparently.” Carlos sighted.

 

With that everyone got dressed and rounded up on the living room where Uma was already waiting with a grumpy Harry and drowsy Gil.

 

“Finally!” Uma spoke, louder than it was needed, just to spite them. Mal’s ears were still ringing from Uma’s alarm.

 

“Control your girlfriend next time.” Evie coldly stated putting a finger on Harry’s chest. Uma didn’t exactly like that touch but kept quiet.

 

Harry grumbled a few indistinguishable noises and ignored Evie all together.

 

“So, what the hell do you want?” Jay asked.

 

“Ok, so we need to clean the house, go grocery shopping and we need to run a few errands for my mom.”

 

“I’m not cleaning this fucking house.” Mal firmly stated.

 

“I’m giving you a week in this house for free, you evil fairy.” Uma growled.

 

“Do I look like I want to be here?” Mal threw her hands in the air. The lack of sleep was really getting to her and everything she did and said during the hours she didn’t sleep were also crystal clear in her mind.

 

“Do I look like I give a fuck?”

 

“Shut the hell up, both of you. Jay, Mal, Carlos, you’re with me on grocery duty, Uma you go run those errands, boys you stay on cleaning duty until Uma comes back.” Evie swiftly stepped in, shushing everyone up. Carlos and Jay shared a smile.

 

“Hey, I don’t want to clean!” Gil whined, finally wide awake.

 

“Why is the lass barkin’ orders?” Harry protested.

 

“You seem to follow Uma’s orders pretty well I don’t see your problem here.” Evie answered with a fake sweet tone while mocking his accent. Carlos had to hide his face behind Jay to stiff his laugh. Uma’s eyes darkened and Harry looked like he was about to punch a wall.

 

“Let’s just go, for fuck’s sake. The nearest supermarket is a 40-minute drive.” Mal stepped in grabbing the boys by their shirts and Evie by her wrist, dragging them out of the house.

 

After they were all inside the van, shockingly Evie was riding shotgun again, Mal spoke.

 

“What the hell was that?”

 

“What? He had it coming!” Evie protested.

 

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about him, Harry will get over it. Uma will not. And she’s the devil.” Mal stated.

 

“Why do you even care Mal?” Evie asked in exasperation.

 

“Well, Evie, I care because I’m in the middle of this mess that Jay so kindly got me into.”

 

“Hey!” Jay protested from the back. The boys watched their interaction carefully, ready to step in if necessary but the fact that Mal seemed to be worried about Evie’s well being did not go by them. Or the fact that they were addressing each other by their actual names. Or that Evie wasn’t coldly staring at Mal like literally every time they crossed paths.

 

“Right, so I’m not allowed to defend myself, that’s what you’re saying.” Evie stated crossing her arms.

 

“I’m saying you’re going to get us all in trouble if you don’t play nice.” Mal sighted.

 

“I don’t see you playing nice.”

 

“I’ve been a bitch to Uma before I could talk and vice versa, that’s not new. Insult her and she’s cool, mess with Harry and you’re dead.” Mal explained.

 

“She’s right E. Defend yourself, sure but be careful.” Carlos backed Mal up.

 

“Thank you, C.” Mal sighted, relieved. Why was she relieved again?

 

Carlos’ addiction to the argument sunk into Evie and she sighted in defeat.

 

“Ok, sorry I’ll be more careful next time.” Evie said while staring at Mal’s eyes that seemed to soften after hearing her words, but maybe that was just Evie's imagination.

 

 

//

 

 

Mal parked the van next to Uma’s beach house and it was getting dark already. There was no way they’d drive to town and not have a little fun, so Jay and Carlos thought it would be cool to walk around town. Evie loved the idea and was glowing, looking at every store. Mal hated to wander because it didn’t leave time for her to admire the sights but she gave in anyway. They had lunch, wandered some more, bought ice-cream and only then they went to the supermarket to buy all the stuff they needed to survive for a week. Mal and Evie avoided any kind of interaction all day but they weren’t fighting either, so Jay and Carlos counted it as an improvement. Jay was happy to see Mal keeping her end of the bargain so well. Finally, they watched the sunset while they unloaded the van.

 

It was a nice day until they stepped inside the house and heard Uma’s voice beaming.

 

“You can’t just do that to me! Mom!”

 

Harry was laying on the couch, Gil was sitting on the floor.

 

“What is going on?” Carlos asked.

 

“Uma’s mom forgot to pay the bill so they cut the power of the house.” Gil explained.

 

“We’ll have it back in two days, not a big deal.” Harry shrugged.

 

“So, no lights at night?” Jay asked.

 

“Apparently not.” Harry answered.

 

Jay and Carlos shared the tiniest of looks, if Mal didn’t know them so well, she would’ve missed it. _They knew._

 

Uma came back from the phone call, pissed beyond words.

 

“Guess we’re going to order take out for two days. There goes the rest of my allowance. Fucking hell.” Uma protested.

 

“We really don’t have power whatsoever?” Carlos asked.

 

“Nope.” Uma replied, popping the ‘p’. “But that’s the least of our concerns. We’re all used to the dark.” Uma really was unbothered, and if they were being honest, none of them really had a problem with it.

 

“How about we light some candles though?”

 

Every head turned to Mal. Evie’s eyes widened ever so slightly, so only Mal could see. Mal did see it. She shrugged.

 

“I mean, I’d rather not see your face like at all.” Mal taunted Uma. “But I really don’t feel like bumping into shit for two days and I’m not giving you a cent if anyone breaks anything.”

 

What Mal said seemed to give everyone pause.

 

“I guess she’s right Uma.” Harry said.

 

“I’m clumsy, I’m doomed to break something if I can’t see.” Gil warned.

 

“Ugh fine, whatever. I’m ordering sea food for dinner and when I come back those fucking candles better be lit.” Uma grabbed her phone and left to her room once more.

 

“You brought candles Mal?” Carlos asked.

 

“You know I always carry them around C.” Mal winked.

 

“I’ll go get the matches then.” Jay offered.

 

As Mal was leaving to get the candles, Carlos stopped her.

 

“I see what you did there M. Nice job.” He whispered with a smile and left to join Jay’s quest of finding the match box.

 

Mal scoffed, but she knew Carlos was right. She knew exactly why she suggested the candles. Her magic powers sort of gave her night vision, there was no way in hell she would ever bump into anything.

 

She made her way to the room and started unpacking the candles she had left, making sure the one she used the night before stayed exactly where it was.

 

As she turned around, she found Evie in the doorstep. She was about to ask her for help but never got the chance because Evie stepped inside and threw her arms around Mal, pulling her in a tight hug. Mal dropped the candles, taken by complete surprise, by the hug and by the fact that she wasn’t shoving Evie away from her.

 

“Thank you Mal. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Evie sounded in the verge of tears. Mal couldn’t possibly imagine how deep her fear of the dark ran for her to have this reaction.

 

So, Mal couldn’t tell you why, but she let her arms rest on Evie’s waist and hugged back.

 

“It’s ok Evie, I got you.” Mal answered and with another flicker of her wrist, the candle placed on Evie’s bedside table lit up, making Evie chuckle.

 

A good deed. A chuckle. All with a **flicker** of Mal’s wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm on spring break so I got busy and wrote the 2º chapter! Thank you so much for such a positive response to this story! I hope you guys enjoy and see you next chapter :) x


	3. Salted Wounds

Summer is a wonderful phenomenon. The days are longer, your hair color becomes lighter, lots of ice-cream, beach days and when the day is over you get to enjoy the summer nights and the starry sky. That’s what Evie thought while bathing in the sun with her sunglasses while she watched the boys play soccer by the sea and Uma sat next to her. But Evie’s mind swiftly drifted to the purple dot that was sitting on the nearest bar. All the things Evie loved so much about summer, Mal thought they sucked for numerous reasons and wanted nothing to do with the beach. She wondered why.

 

“What’s on your mind princess?” Evie was jolted back to reality by Uma, who looked at her with curious eyes.

 

“Nothing really. I was just thinking of how peaceful this is.” Evie brushed her off.

 

“I know. I love the sea.” Uma replied.

 

“Who doesn’t?” Evie dreamily looked at how the water played when the waves hit the shore and basked on the sound of the water, on the laughs of her friends.

 

Uma’s answer was a smile, a smile Evie couldn’t quite understand. But she wasn’t about to worry. So, she got up.

 

“Where are you going?” Uma asked.

 

“To get some ice-cream. Want me to bring you some?” Evie answered happily.

“Uma!” Harry was coming their way.

 

“Nah, I’m good.” Uma assured her and Evie left to the bar.

 

“Uma, come play with us.” Harry approached Uma and kissed her cheek.

 

Harry looked over to the blue waves of Evie’s hair, to where Uma’s eyes rested, the girl still on her way to the bar.

 

“What’s wrong love?” Harry inquired.

 

Uma turned on her heels and kissed Harry’s lips, one arm around his neck. Harry hummed happily in her mouth and slid his hands until they were resting on Uma’s waist.

 

“Nothing’s wrong. But it’s about time we have some real fun.” Uma winked and Harry gave her a cheeky smile.

 

Uma shot one last glace at Evie and left hand in hand with Harry, ready to kick those boys’ asses at their own game.

 

Meanwhile, Evie was finding herself unable to pick which ice-cream she wanted. Not that there was any rush, there was basically no one else at the bar and the few people that were, were sitting on the tables minding their own business. She glanced at the only table with a parasol to see Mal focused on a book on the table. It was also the one that was further away, so people wouldn’t bother her.

 

Maybe she never wanted the ice-cream in the first place.

 

Mal, who payed for that parasol to be there all day, was indeed focused on her sketch book. She always carried it with her and drew in it whenever she could. She took a quick glance at her phone and sighted as she was hours away from going home.

 

“What are you working on?”

 

Evie’s curious voice startled Mal, who was so disconnected that she completely missed Evie’s flashy blue hair or her easy smile and immediately shut her sketch book.

 

“You can’t see it.” Mal answered. Evie visibly frowned at Mal’s rather aggressive and defensive response. Mal couldn’t quite understand why seeing Evie slightly unhappy started to bother her and she couldn’t possibly pinpoint how or when that even started. She took a deep breath. Why was this girl so damn curious?

 

“Yet. You can’t see it yet. It’s uhm…it’s not finished.” Mal corrected herself and the way Evie’s eyes flickered with excitement got Mal staring at them. Evie sat down, right in front of her.

 

“Why don’t you like the beach?” That question was on the back of Evie’s head for a while.

 

“You are one curious girl, aren’t you?” Mal answered, almost teasing her.

 

Evie gave her a cheeky smile.

 

“I guess I am.”

 

Neither of the girls understood what was happening between them and none of them were ready to question it just yet. They had a history of hate and disdain for the other and were known for always being at each other’s throats whenever they were forced to breathe the same air. And now that they were forced to interact for more than the life span of a few insults, they were not doing it anymore. But then again, they had never actually spent so much time together, neither they ever spoke so many words to each other that weren’t insults, so they couldn’t really tell you what the fuck was going on.

 

“It’s just who I am.” Mal sheepishly answered. She didn’t feel like sharing, especially not with Evie. Again. No, Mal learnt from her mistake.

 

“And just who are you Mal?” Evie asked in a challenging tone, trying to hide a smirk. God she was annoying.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Mal challenged back.

 

There was a pause. Evie rested her chin in her hands. Her expression changed into a more serious one.

 

“…. Perhaps I would.”

 

Mal had to break eye contact, she felt like if she stared into Evie’s eyes a second longer she’d be able to unlock all of Mal’s secrets.

 

“Guess I’m not having any luck today.” Evie commented.

 

“There’s no such thing as luck.” Mal grumbled, still loud enough for Evie to hear.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, there’s no such thing as luck.” Mal repeated, annoyed that now she most certainly would have to explain her opinion to Evie.

 

“That’s not true. Luck is everywhere.” Evie opposed. Mal saw how Evie defensively grabbed the necklace she had on, one that Mal obviously never really noticed until now.

 

“Because you’d know all about that.” Mal snickered crossing her arms.

 

“I do believe in luck. I believe you’re not supposed to search for it. If you really need it, it will always find you.” Evie answered with a smile.

 

Mal stiffed an incredulous laugh.

 

“Then, what’s that?” Mal pointed to the necklace.

 

“Oh, this? This is a four-leaf clover. It’s- “

 

“I know what it is princess.” Mal interrupted with a tiny smile of her own. “What I meant is, you say you don’t search for luck, but you walk around with what people say is a lucky charm.”

 

“This is…personal. When I needed a hint of luck the most, I held on to this. It always worked. So, I never take it off. That’s why I believe luck is a real thing.”

 

“Well, not for me it isn’t.” Mal bitterly said. “At least not anymore. Finding Jay and Carlos was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

 

There was a pause. Each girl thinking of what the other said. Mal thinking of Evie’s strong belief in luck like it was just lurking and waiting for the right time to do it’s thing. Evie thinking of Mal’s hard and cruel approach on stuff she didn’t believe truly existed because she hadn’t really felt it on her body. Then Evie had another idea.

 

“How about this. Will you answer one of my questions if I answer one of yours? Ask me anything.” Evie was not letting this matter drop and she had all the time in the world. Mal thought about it. Was really there anything she wanted to know?

 

Yes, there was.

 

Was it worth it, to share something about her, only to get her question answered?

 

It probably wasn’t. Evie didn’t even deserve to know more about Mal. Mal wanted to say no.

 

“Sounds fair.” Mal replied instead. Oh, how she was going to regret this. Mal didn’t learn from her mistake, it seems.

 

Evie nodded in response, surprised that her reasoning worked and waited for Mal’s question. Mal didn’t have to think too hard.

 

“Why didn’t you want me at your birthday party?”

 

Evie should’ve known Mal was going for that. The thing is, Evie still didn’t have a good answer for that question. Not one that could make Mal feel better.

 

“You still think I had a choice.”

 

“I do. No parent invites people over that their kids don’t like or else something is about to go wrong. You asked for it, so be honest with me about this, for once in your life Evie.” Mal was determined to get the truth.

 

Evie knew Mal was right. She walked right into this one and Mal would catch her in a lie. Evie deep down knew; the reason simply wasn’t one Mal would want to hear. Evie could see it in Mal’s eyes, the tiniest hint of hope. Hope that there was a good reason. But Evie didn’t have one.

 

“I was scared.” Evie answered.

 

Mal raised both eyebrows.

 

“You have to do better than that. No 6-year-old kid is scary.”

 

“You were to me. My mother played a huge part in it. She always told me horrible things about your mother, including the part where she had magical powers that she used in the nastiest ways. And she was my mother, so I believed her, like any kid would. I was afraid that you were like her. So, when my mother said she wasn’t going to invite you, I was never opposed. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you asked for honesty.” Evie explained truthfully. She had been thinking about it since hers and Mal’s confrontation a few days ago. And saying it out loud for the first time, Evie felt bad.

 

Evie watched as Mal’s entire complexion hardened and as her eyes darkened. It was just as Mal expected. Evie never wanted her at her birthday party. Mal never knew why her heart broke as hard as it did that day and she couldn’t understand why it never healed, 10 years later. Why her chest was hurting on that very moment on hearing what she knew all along. Why did a stupid birthday party bothered her so fucking much?

 

“Please say something.” Evie tried, concerned and regretting her own suggestion just moments ago. They were finally starting to get along and Evie felt like she just ruined it.

 

“Ask your question.” Mal sighted, one hand on her forehead.

 

“Mal- “

 

“You were right, I asked for honesty and I fucking got it. Ask your question.” Mal’s tone went back to defensive and aggressive. Evie felt the guilt of the birthday party for the very first time and it was not a good feeling at all.

 

“Why did you help me? With the candles?” Evie quietly asked.

 

Mal scoffed.

 

“Really? Of every question in the world, that’s what you want to know?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Evie was sure of her question. She knew exactly what she wanted to get from it.

 

“Well, honestly I really wanted to go back to sleep. But I saw the fear in your eyes. So, just as honestly, leaving you there like that seemed a little extra...cruel. Even for me.” Mal wasn’t lying. That was the part of the reason that she understood. The other, the odd feeling that settled in her stomach, she had no idea how to explain it. Worse. She knew what it was. Guilt.

 

“Oh.” Evie felt…even worse. Mal was nothing like her tyrannical mother. Mal was a teenage girl, who loved art and purple leather jackets. She had magic and for all Evie knew, she used it to help a person she didn’t even like, a person who wronged her. Mal wasn’t a rude, emotionless chick with a bitchy attitude. She was closed off, yes, but she was a sensitive girl capable of so much love. She was a teenage girl who got her feelings hurt.

 

“You should go back to them.” Mal flatly said.

 

“I will. But Mal?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Evie felt like this very moment was a turning point for her.

 

“I’m not asking for forgiveness. But I want to apologize for hurting you. You didn’t deserve to be left out like that. I shouldn’t have thoughts those things about you. I shouldn’t have created this idea of you as the years went by. I shouldn’t have been so shallow. If I could go back and change it, I would. Maybe that way we could’ve spared each other a lot of pain. Maybe you wouldn’t be suffering so much every day because you thought you weren’t deserving of having nice things. Maybe I wouldn’t be feeling so guilty right now. I’m so sorry Mal.”

 

Evie’s apology surprised Mal so much she felt her eyes burn. Mal didn’t know how much she really wanted it until she heard Evie say it. And Mal knew Evie wasn’t lying. For some reason Mal knew she meant it. Now Mal felt like forgiving Evie. Mal felt like apologizing to Evie.

 

Evie smiled. A sad smile. Evie really apologized, something Mal never thought would happen as Evie always seemed so sure none of it had been her fault, always blaming it on her mother. Mal wondered what changed Evie’s mind and if she was being honest she was tired of fighting all the damn time. So, she took a deep breath. She was really doing this.

 

“I guess I also had no reason whatsoever to leave you inside that closet other than me being petty. And I also don’t expect forgiveness. Especially because now I know it left permanent damage on you. That’s why I got the candles for you. Not that I was lying before, I wasn’t. But I couldn’t explain why my guts tangled and left me gasping for air and now I recognize it as guilt. Guilt I never had to deal with before and I have no idea of how I’m supposed to deal with it now. Also, I’m tired of being angry all the fucking time you know? I am sorry Evie. For everything. I’m just that stupid and gave zero thoughts about the consequences of my actions.”

 

Evie felt her eyes water. Not in her wildest dreams she ever thought Mal would apologize back or acknowledge that Evie’s fear of the dark was a consequence of Mal locking her inside a closet a year after the birthday party. She wasn’t sure of how to react but something slipped through her lips without her permission.

 

“You’re not stupid Mal.”

 

“And you’re not shallow Evie.”

 

They stayed there, just staring at each other for what seemed an eternity. Then Evie got up, ready to leave Mal to her thoughts and her sketches.

 

“Evie?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Mal wasn’t sure of why this question popped in her head right after the first girl talk of her entire life, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help but want a positive answer for the question she was about to make. Because Evie wasn’t a vain, snobby, prissy, stuck up bitch like Mal always thought of her. Evie was a teenager who liked fashion and design, nice dresses and high heels but more than that, Evie was kind, loving, understanding and patient. She had values and beliefs. And she was beautiful. Mal wanted to start over with Evie and was just now discovering how badly she wanted it.

 

“Uhm…are…are we friends? Like…right now?”

 

Evie seemed to give it a thought. Were they? They were finally admitting they both made mistakes. Maybe they’d need a few more talks like this one to finally put everything beside them. They were finally being entirely honest with each other. They were being nice to each other and not just to play a part. At the very least it was a start. Evie realized in that moment she wanted to make things right with Mal, more than anything.

 

“Do you want us to be?”

 

Mal’s eyes seemed bigger than usual.

 

“I’d like that.” Her voice was quiet and almost embarrassed but Evie heard it, loud and clear. Mal wanted to be her friend.

 

“Then yes. We are.”

 

Evie smiled, the big smile Mal learnt to see on her when she was genuinely happy or excited and couldn’t help but smile back at her.

 

Evie then left. Mal, for the first time in her life didn’t want her to leave. Mal wanted Evie to stay. Mal wanted to talk more and more to Evie.

 

Evie didn’t want to leave but she thought they both needed a rest. A lot happened.

 

Mal was back to her sketch book and finished the drawing of her current sight of the beach, of the sea, of the sky. She felt really excited because she wanted to show it to Evie.

 

“Don’t you ever get bored of that?”

 

Mal looked up to see Uma, already sitting in front of her. A horrible sight, compared to Evie.

 

“Don’t you ever get bored of being a bitch?” Mal flatly replied. Uma gave her that smirk she hated so much.

 

“I really don’t. See Mal, I know your little secret.”

 

“I’m sure you do.” Mal mumbled uninterested, doodling a crown on her sketch book.

 

“Yes. I know that you like Evie. I mean, you like, **like** her.”

 

Mal stopped doodling and looked right into Uma’s eyes.

 

“Excuse me, I _what_ now?”

 

“Don’t play dumb Bertha.” Uma slammed her fist on the table to get Mal’s full attention.

 

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mal was really confused at this point.

 

“Oh c’mon, you both preach how much you hate each other but you’ve been here for what three days now and no one died yet, like I was expecting. And to add fuel to the fire, it’s not like I didn’t just see you here for the longest time talking and staring at each other. Maybe you’re just a dense bitch, but you like her. You like the princess.”

 

Mal stomach did some loopy thing and she couldn’t tell you why. Liking Evie? Liking meaning…what was the word? _Loving_?

 

“No, I don’t. Stop being such a pain in the ass.” Mal defended herself. Mal did not like Evie. They’ve been enemies their entire lives and friends only for a couple of hours. Uma was losing it.

 

“Right, so you wouldn’t mind if I call her right now and told her that, as a harmless prank.” Uma was not about to give up and seeing Mal squirm in her seat as she pulled her phone out, was the only proof she needed.

 

“Tell you what,” Uma rested her elbow on the table. “If you win, I’ll drop it and I won’t bother you until this week is over.”

 

Mal scoffed. Really? Uma went for arm wrestling? She grabbed Uma’s hand fiercely and allowed her elbow to rest on the table as well.

 

“Don’t you want to know what happens if I win?”

 

“Still dreaming.” Mal snickered.

 

“On three.”

 

“One,”

 

“Two,”

 

“Three!”

 

Both girls were equally strong, so they were holding each other pretty well.

 

“That whole act, never bought it. You think you’re all tough but you’re as fake as Evie’s eyelashes.” Uma started taunting Mal, trying to get her to lose her focus.

 

“And you can pretend all you want that you’re important because you’re well acquainted but you’re still the same old Shrimpy.” Mal clapped back successfully because she knew how to get to Uma who started to lose her strength more and more. Mal smiled widely, knowing she already had it.

 

“If I win, you do whatever I tell you until this week is over, or I’ll tell everyone you’re in love with Evie.”

 

Hearing the words ‘love’ and ‘Evie’ in the same sentence startled Mal so hard, it was like someone hit the off button on her body which completely shut down for a few seconds, more than enough for Uma to push and slam Mal’s hand on the table.

 

Uma laughed, a sick and evil laugh. Mal realized what true hate was like, and it was never what she felt for Evie. Hate was what she felt for Uma.

 

“So, now do as I say, or your dirty little secret is out. Have fun with your…whatever those are.” Uma got up but turned back just as quick.

 

“Oh, and if you blab…Evie will suffer in your place.”

 

Uma then left Mal, who had her mind racing. She really lost an arm wrestling fight to Uma? Really!? What was she thinking? Oh yeah, she was thinking of what Uma said about Mal being in love with Evie. She wasn’t. Right? Because being in love with someone she barely knew and was only now starting to like, as a friend, would be ridiculous. Right? Right!?

 

Truth to be told, Mal didn’t know what to think anymore, but what she did know was that she didn’t want to ruin the little progress she did with Evie and didn’t want her to suffer even more at her expense. So, she would have to be Uma’s lap dog.

 

“Fuck.” Mal groaned, her hands traveled through her hair in annoyance as she felt her eyes burn.

 

//

 

Mal didn’t even take her clothes off, but she could feel the salt on her skin, so she waited until everyone was done and then hopped on the shower. When she came back in her comfy clothes, everyone but Uma and Harry were sitting on the couches.

 

“Haters do not interact.” Carlos was sitting on the floor, refusing to be on Jay’s lap.

 

“Pup, we’ve been dating for 2 years now.” Jay tiredly answered.

 

“ ** _Haters do not interact_**.”

 

“Ok, I’m sorry I called your Pokémon collection dumb. I’m sorry, I love you and your Pokémon cards.”

 

“You’re both ridiculous, you know that, right?” Mal teased throwing herself into Jay’s lap.

 

Evie watched as Jay smiled at Mal, a knowing smile. They were used to this banter and she knew they already had Carlos wrapped around their fingers. Evie almost forgets how well she knows those two boys.

 

“Hey!” Carlos whined. Gil laughed along with Mal and Jay.

 

“Jay is sorry, I’ll leave if you accept his apology.” Mal winked at Carlos and he couldn’t contain his laughter.

 

“Fine, apology accepted. Now, get off my boyfriend’s lap.” Carlos demanded.

 

“Chill Pup. You and I know I’m not his type.” Mal hopped off Jay’s lap and Carlos immediately sat on it, letting Jay hold him in his protective embrace. Mal looked over and ended up sitting on the sofa’s armrest just next to Evie who didn’t mind Mal’s leg touching her arm. Jay lifted a curious eyebrow at Mal and she mouthed ‘we’re good’ behind Evie’s back with a tiny smile.

 

“Holy shit.” Jay mumbled, unable to contain himself or his smirk.

 

“What?” Carlos enquired.

 

“Nothing.” Jay brushed it off.

 

“Sometimes he’s just stupid like that.” Mal added, seeing Evie glancing at her with an eyebrow raised and a half smirk.

 

“Where is Uma?” Evie asked.

 

“She went out with Harry to get some dinner. They should be here soon.” Gil answered while scrolling through his phone.

 

In that moment the duo walked inside with food for everyone. Uma wasn’t surprised in the least to see Mal right next to Evie and decided it was time for some fun, giving Harry a nudge.

 

“How about a round of truth or dare?” He suggested.

 

“Absolutely not. I fucking hate that game.” Mal replied as she stood up to find herself a fork.

 

“C’mon Mal, loosen up! I think you want to play.” Uma answered, getting a fork for herself.

 

“Why are you doing this?” Mal whispered.

 

“To spite you. Oh, and because that snobby princess messed with my man.” Uma angrily whispered back.

 

“He’s a big boy, he doesn’t need your protection.” Mal hissed.

 

“I have to admit, it’s a little unnecessary…oh but it is so much fun. So, if you want me to back off, you’re playing.” Uma whispered and went back to sit on Harry’s lap. He was looking very smug which meant he was in on this.

 

Mal dragged her feet back to where she was sitting. Evie gave her a concerned and inquiring look. Mal smiled in return, not wanting to drag her even more into this mess.

 

“So Mal, are ye in?” Harry asked.

 

“Whatever.” Mal muttered.

 

Mal knew that a truth or dare game never ended well, no matter what. It’s way too invasive and way too stupid for Mal’s taste. And now she was forced to play and to go along. The game was going smoothly so far. A few truths here and there that were no surprise to anyone really, given how well they knew each other. Like Gil being a virgin or Harry losing his own at the age of 12. Also a few dares, nothing too harmless so far.

 

“Truth or dare Mal?”

 

Of course, Harry’s turn had to be wasted on Mal.

 

“Truth.” Mal answered.

 

“Is it true that you like girls?”

 

This wasn’t an unusual question, but Mal never really labeled herself, so for a moment, it seemed pretty personal. Jay and Carlos looked worried that Mal might snap but her expression was unreadable. Evie watched Mal, curiously.

 

“Yes. I like both boys and girls actually.” Mal calmly answered. Mal knew Harry basically outed her, but for some reason it didn’t bother her as much as she expected. Or as Uma expected, as she looked fairly disappointed at Mal poor reaction.

 

Another round, a little more aggressive one. Jay was dared to lick the floor, Gil had to go outside completely naked and howl, Harry confessed that he once dated a boy in secret and Carlos was dared to kiss someone in the room that wasn’t Jay to which Carlos responded with swiftly moving around the room and giving Mal a quick kiss on the lips. Mal knew it was the only way Carlos wouldn’t get in trouble so she didn’t even flinch as the boy placed his lips on hers.

 

Uma was dared by Jay to hold a shrimp in her hand for the rest of the night to remind everyone of the nasty nickname Mal gave her. Evie was dared to say something about herself that no one in that room knew about her. She chose to share that she had never been kissed. Which surprised everyone in the room. Mal almost lost her balance on the armchair as she couldn’t believe someone as beautiful as Evie had never been kissed by anyone. But she didn’t have much time to process that fact, as it was her turn again and unfortunately the question was asked by Uma.

 

“Truth or dare?”

 

Mal opened her mouth to answer when Uma interrupted.

 

“You already did truth. Let’s do a dare shall we?” Uma challenged Mal and she knew she didn’t really have a choice.

 

“Fine. Dare.”

 

“I dare you to go for a swim in the sea.”

 

Mal froze.

 

“I’m not doing that.” She answered. At this point, she didn’t care if Uma exposed her entire life.

 

“Everyone here did their dares Mal.” Uma tried once more but Mal growling another ‘no’ showed her that Mal was adamant. Which meant is was time for plan B for Uma. She was getting her bit of fun, one way or another.

 

The next few moments happened both really fast and in slow motion. Uma gave Harry a nudge and in the next moment Harry was up, holding Mal in his strong arms and running towards the sea followed by Uma and Mal’s screams and cries.

 

“STOP!” Jay yelled.

 

Jay and Carlos hopped from their seat and sprinted as fast as their bodies allowed them, leaving Gil and Evie to follow them confused and in Evie’s case concerned.

 

“Harry! Harry stop please stop!!” Mal screamed as they reached the sea shore where Uma stopped to watch the show. Harry was already in the water.

 

“Don’t worry Mal, it’s only a wee bit of water.” Harry snickered.

 

“No, please you don’t understand, don’t do this!!” Mal panicked and she could feel every bone in her body shaking.

 

Jay and Carlos’ voices could be heard as they got closer.

 

Mal’s pleads did her no good as Harry reached deep water and completely dropped her in, leaving to be at Uma’s side.

 

Jay’s athletic body allowed him to reach them a few seconds later and without a second thought he just dove in the water.

 

“What is he doing?” Harry asked confused.

 

Evie and Gil finally caught up to them.

 

Carlos turned to Harry and Evie had never seen the sweet boy so infuriated.

 

“He’s saving her life!”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“BECAUSE SHE CAN’T SWIN YOU COLOSSAL ASSHOLE!” Carlos yelled, his eyes darting to the sea.

 

Harry’s jaw dropped. Evie’s blood went cold. Gil muttered an ‘oh god’. _Mal couldn’t swim._

 

“Bloody hell.”

 

A few seconds later, which seemed like hours for everyone, Jay immerged holding Mal in his arms.

 

“No one gets close!” Jay warned as he placed Mal gently in the sand.

 

Mal who was experiencing a lot of things at the same time. She was coughing water and sobbing uncontrollably at the same time. She was having trouble breathing. The sight was horrifying.

 

But no one felt worse than Mal herself, who knew that adding to how terrified she was and all the water still leaving her lungs, she was having a full panic attack. She felt like she had invisible walls around her that were caving in, she was visibly crawling in her own skin and she couldn’t control any of it, so she held on to Jay and buried her face in his neck, her entire body shaking, her deafening cries ringing in her ears and echoing on the empty beach. Evie didn’t even feel her tears rolling down her face but she was crying as well. Carlos squeezed her shoulder trying to comfort her.

 

“It’s ok Mal, I got you.” Jay whispered words of comfort, holding her tiny body in his arms, protecting her like a big brother would. He let Carlos get a little closer and soon he was too, making sure Mal was ok.

 

“I can’t believe she can’t swim.” Harry said, still in shock. When he glanced at Uma, he squinted at her.

 

“Ye don’t seem surprised.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Ye _knew_!?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“And ye let me do this!? Uma, ye know I love a good prank but this is bonkers!” Harry felt his stomach loop.

 

“She’s fine, isn’t she?” Uma didn’t seem too worried and that shocked Harry even more, like he didn’t know his girlfriend anymore.

 

“Ye can’t be serious…” Harry sat down as Uma left to the house, as her mission had been accomplished. Gil sat next to Harry trying to somehow help him.

 

“C’mon Mal, you’re freezing, let’s get you inside and out of those clothes.” Jay calmly said. Mal nodded and the boys helped her get on her feet.

 

“Mal are you ok?” Evie asked taking a few steps closer.

 

“Don’t fucking touch me. Don’t come near me ever again. I don’t want to hear from you, I don’t want to see you. **This is all your damn fault**.” Mal growled, her eyes completely dead, her tone ice cold and her grip on Jay stronger. Evie felt like she had been hit by a truck. She couldn’t be serious.

 

“Mal…” Carlos tried to reason with her.

 

“Did I fucking stutter?” Mal hissed.

 

Jay and Carlos frowned. Oh, but she was serious. Carlos made sure Jay could handle the job and stayed behind for Evie who started crying again.

 

Carlos pulled her for a hug, rubbing her back as a comforting gesture.

 

“She didn’t mean it E. Please know that.” Carlos whispered.

 

But what if she did? What happened to the girl who wanted to make things right? Was she lying? Evie had a lot of questions inside her head and a mix of emotions bubbling in her gut.

 

**What happened to being friends?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this chapter is way longer than the last two because at some point it took a life of it's own haha. There's a lot in there that I absolutely didn't plan but at the same time it fit perfectly with what I inicially had planned, so I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's a little heavier as a lot happened lmao  
> Again, thank you so MUCH for the amazing response to this story, it means the world to me that you're Reading it and that you take a lil bit of your day to leave some nice words in here.  
> Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it and to everyone else, have a great Sunday!  
> See you next chapter :) x


	4. A.M.

Jay never thought a day could go this wrong, but life had a funny way to bite him in the ass.

 

He made sure no one was to come inside the bedroom, had Mal out of her wet clothes and since they still had no power, he got a towel and dried her purple hair the best he could with gentle movements. And Mal let him because even though she was in such bad shape, those were the moments where she felt the most loved. Jay was such a big brother to her and he would never let anything happen to her. He saved her life.

 

And Jay always felt like a big brother to Mal. The nausea he felt when he saw that Mal was underwater and unable to fend for herself still rested on a little corner of his stomach. Because there was a tiny part of him that knew Mal could've died had she stayed underwater a few more seconds. He knew how to swim but he wasn't so confident on his CPR skills.

 

Jay knew Mal just wanted to be alone for the time being, so he made sure she was comfy and after a kiss on Mal's forehead, he left her.

 

He found Uma's door locked, with her inside probably. Harry and Gil sat quietly on the couch. He opened the door to find Carlos keeping Evie company, both sitting on the porch. He sat down with them.

 

"How is she?" Carlos asked, a worried and tired tone to his voice.

 

Evie, who had her head resting on Carlos' shoulder said nothing but her eyes focused on Jay.

 

"Very shaken up." Jay answered with honesty.

 

Carlos frowned.

 

"How about you E? How are you holding up?" Jay asked.

 

Evie wasn't holding up at all. No matter what, seeing the state Mal was in really got to her. She didn't even know why Mal was getting to her. She heard so many bad things directed at her, all coming from Mal and never once she was truly bothered by her words. Until now.

 

"We were friends Jay." Evie quietly answered.

 

"You still are." Jay countered.

 

"Did you not hear what she said? She wants nothing to do with me."

 

"She didn't mean it." Carlos said once more.

 

"She did Carlos!"

 

The boys saw how Evie's eyes were filled with tears. They knew their friend was easily hurt and felt for her. Because this was not her fault at all. Jay moved to the other side so Evie was between the boys and threw a protective arm around her.

 

"Look E, I know what it looks like but will you hear me out?" Jay asked catching one of Evie's tears.

 

She nodded and hummed in response.

 

"Do you mind?" Jay asked Carlos, like he was asking for permission to speak on his behalf.

 

"Go ahead boyfriend." Carlos smiled at him.

 

Jay nodded with a smile.

 

"We know Mal, like we really know her. Mal looks like this cold-hearted bitch who'd have no problem in crushing your heart and she seems to always have a way of selling her lines. We also know your relationship with her isn't good. But we also noticed something was different and you just said you were friends, so that goes way beyond our wildest dreams and way beyond the promise Mal made me that she would behave. Look, Mal can be a lot of things but she's not heartless. She's in fact very sensitive and loving. What happened today, it scared the shit out of her and to be honest it scared the fuck out of us as well. And when she feels threatened, she crawls inside her bubble and pushes everyone away. It's how she protects herself from further damage. It's always been like this. She's very impulsive and unfiltered and in times like these it gets the best of her. She didn't mean what she said, E. Trust me." Jay spoke quietly and softly, almost like a lullaby. Evie heard every word, processing the new pieces of information and holding on to them.

 

"She cares about you. And the candles were just one way of showing it. Listen, when Mal doesn’t care, you can actually feel all the fucks she doesn’t give." Carlos added.

 

Evie wasn’t even surprised the boys were aware of the candles. She recognized Mal’s actions as kind and understanding and realized Jay and Carlos were more right than wrong. Which gave her a little bit of hope that Mal would come around and that they could pick up where they left off.

 

“I’m going to check on her later. I’ll talk to her E.” Jay said.

 

“Do you think she’ll listen?” Evie wondered.

 

“She always does. Don’t ever think she’s not listening or paying attention because she is.” Jay replied, his tone dead serious. “And at least she’s drier now.” He chuckled.

 

"But you're not. Jay you have to change out of those clothes!" Carlos became the worried boyfriend in 0.3 seconds and only then Jay actually felt the cold and the weight of his soaked clothes and of his long hair.

 

"I'm sorry I forgot some wet clothes after watching my friend almost drown Carlos." Jay snapped. He knew it wasn't Carlos' fault but he was still upset so he just let his emotions get the best of him. Luckily for Jay, Carlos knew him better than he knew himself and took no offense over his rather aggressive tone. Carlos also knew Jay was right.

 

"You saved her life Jay." Carlos softly said, reaching for his boyfriend’s hand.

 

"I keep thinking I was lucky. What if I didn't have it in me to go get her? She could've..."

 

"Don't." Carlos and Evie both stopped him.

 

“You were great out there Jay.” Evie backed up.

 

Jay gave them both a small smile and then he left to change out of his clothes hand in hand with Carlos. Evie got up to the room she shared with Mal, to find it empty. What stopped her from frowning was the flickering little flame of the candle on her bedside table. She smiled, a tiny smile, wondering if Mal was the one who lit it. But then she was reminded of Mal’s cruel words. Mal wanted nothing to do with her and probably would go back to hating her. Evie had done nothing wrong, yet she was the target of Mal’s anger and this time Evie had this tightness in her chest she couldn’t quite understand. This time, what Mal thought of her mattered and Evie realized she wasn’t good enough for Mal. She wasn’t good enough to be Mal’s friend. And she couldn’t understand why she was so hurt. Why she wanted to be enough for Mal. Why she wanted Mal to be in her life, no matter what. So, Evie went to bed and silently cried herself to sleep.

 

//

 

 

Mal hid herself in the back seat of her van with a couple of pillows and a blanket. She was warm and comfy now but she could still feel the disgusting taste of the ocean water, like it was lingering in her throat waiting to swallow her lungs again.

 

And she could feel a lot of other things as well but as she was preparing herself to process them, she saw Jay on the outside coming probably to check on her. She unlocked the door and made room for Jay to sit, which he did.

 

“How are you doing M?” Jay softly asked.

 

“Better, I guess.” Mal answered. She noticed Jay’s hair was still wet.

 

“I’m sorry you got all wet.” Mal murmured, feeling more ashamed than ever about her inability to swim but she was sure the shame wasn’t just about that.

 

“Mal.” Jay gave her a stern look. “Don’t ever apologize for something like that. I’d do it all over again. I would never let anything happen to you. You know that.”

 

She knew.

 

Mal managed to smile. A smile Jay returned. Mal waited for what Jay really wanted to talk about, the same thing Carlos would come to talk to her about and the one thing Mal didn’t know how to talk about. But Jay stayed silent.

 

“You can say it, you know?” Mal broke the silence.

 

“Say what?”

 

“That I’m a bitch.”

 

“Why would I say that?” Jay crossed his arms, wondering what Mal would answer next.

 

“You know why.”

 

Jay did know. But Jay also knew she was wrong.

 

“Well, I do want to know why you agreed on playing that stupid game. And you’re not a bitch, you know that.” Jay answered.

 

Mal thought about it for a second. Thought about what answer she wanted to give him.

 

“I chose to play because Uma has something on me.” Mal explained. Of course, she knew she could trust Jay with this information and she decided she wouldn’t lie to him.

 

“And since when do you give a shit about what other people think of you, or what Uma says about you?” Jay inquired, not quite believing Mal would succumb herself to Uma’s petty demands.

 

“I don’t. But what she has on me…It’s something I don’t even understand enough and I want to figure things out myself. It’s probably a little too late for that but anyway.” Mal rambled and Jay felt she was talking more to herself than to him, like she was trying to sort out her thoughts by reciting them out loud.

 

“You know you can tell me anything.” Jay genuinely stated.

 

Mal knew. Mal knew Jay would help her. Mal, Jay and Carlos never kept secrets from each other and they weren’t about to start now.

 

“I don’t know how to even explain this to you. So, I’m starting by saying that I also agreed to play because Uma didn’t just threaten me. It wasn’t just about me.”

 

“Mal, me and Carlos will kick her shrimpy ass any day of the week.” Jay almost chuckled, surprised that Mal could ever doubt them.

 

But the look on Mal’s face, a mix of stern eyes and a lingering vulnerability that Jay had never seen on her, not even in times where he saw her at her absolute worst, made him realize what Mal really meant.

 

“Evie.” Jay breathed out.

 

Jay’s mind raced. He was smarter than everyone gave him credit for and things started to make a lot more sense but at the same time, they didn’t really make any sense.

 

“Mal do you- “

 

“I don’t know!” Mal cut him, her fingers running furiously through her purple locks. “I don’t even know Jay.” She repeated more quietly now. Jay shifted, so he could listen more carefully.

 

“I never thought about it. Why would I? We hated each other. And then, something happened and I was helpless Jay.” Mal explained, trying to keep her tears away.

 

“The candles.” Jay said in realization.

 

“It was actually before that, but yes. Jay that is my fault. I realized that as soon as I saw how she craved that sense of security, that the light was her only reassurance that she was not trapped inside anything. It’s **my** fault. I couldn’t leave her like that. We bonded that night, even if we weren’t planning to. I was wrong about her, so wrong. And then Uma confronted me and accused me of **loving** Evie and said she’d tell everyone if I didn’t do what she wanted. And threatened Evie as well, for that comment she made about Harry. We were sort of already getting along, I didn’t want to ruin it.” Mal confessed, her voice almost inaudible, like she was afraid the walls could hear her.

 

“How could this ever ruin it?” Jay asked.

 

“C’mon Jay.”

 

“Mal, you really hurt her feelings back there.”

 

“For fuck’s sake Jay, I know!”

 

“Then why did you do it!?” Jay suddenly snapped, startling Mal even though she was expecting it at some point. Jay knew perfectly Mal didn’t mean to do it, but he was also very protective of Evie and it finally caught up to him.

 

“Ah, there it is. The part of you who thinks I’m a bitch.” Mal snapped back.

 

“She’s one of my closest friends Mal.” Jay defended himself.

 

“She was mine too! If you think I meant what I said, you should know me better! Jay, we apologized to each other! We were going to make this better! And I know I blew it, but I wanted to protect her!”

 

“It sounds more like you were trying to protect yourself. If you were trying to be her friend, you did a very lousy job.” Jay answered, his anger still lingering.

 

“I- “

 

Mal knew Jay was right. She was the one who didn’t know what to do with her feelings and she took it out on Evie. And there she was running away from her problems. On that moment Mal truly realized how right Uma was. This helpless need to protect Evie all of a sudden. Wanting to right her wrongs and apologizing to Evie. Admitting she was wrong about Evie. How fiercely she wanted to be somebody to Evie, no matter what. Mal realized she always wanted Evie to remember her. Even as someone she hated.

 

Tears started rolling down her face and Jay almost gasped, his anger cooling down instantly. As far as Jay knew, Mal had never been in love. If she was really feeling it for the first time and for Evie, of all people, Jay could understand why Mal was losing her shit.

 

Mal was so confused that hurting Evie was just a consequence of the mess she was inside, of the near-death experience and she had no idea of how to deal with any of it.

 

Jay scooted closer and threw his arm around her shoulders. Mal sobbed.

 

“I’m sorry I snapped.” Jay whispered.

 

“No, you were right. I think I might like her Jay. I mean like, **like** her. Maybe I always felt this. I don’t know what to do.” Mal confessed, trying to wipe away her tears.

 

“Love is a scary thing Mal. I can’t really tell you what to do but how about you go upstairs and apologize?” Jay suggested.

 

“Do you think she’ll listen?” Mal asked unsure.

 

Jay almost smiled at the fact that Evie asked the exact same question about Mal. They had more in common then they cared to admit.

 

“She will.” Jay replied.

 

There was a pause. Then Mal breathed out another question and Jay could sense the fear behind it.

 

“What about Uma?”

 

“Hey. We got your back. We won’t let anything happen to you. To both of you.” Jay assured with a warm smile. He then left Mal and found Carlos waiting for him at a certain distance.

 

“What happened?” Carlos asked.

 

“There’s no need for you to go in there now. We thought we’d have to talk some sense into her, but we don’t.”

 

“We don’t?” Carlos wondered, confused.

 

“Mal likes her C.” Jay sounded like a little kid, excited and his eyes sparkled.

 

“Ok? We knew that already, didn’t we? They were trying to be- **Oh my god**!” Carlos stopped himself mid-sentence when he realized Jay meant more than what they knew.

 

“Uma is blackmailing her. Come, I’ll explain everything else later.” Jay pecked Carlos’ lips and they both went inside and into their room.

 

 

//

 

 

Mal didn’t even know what she was supposed to say to Evie. But she knew she wanted to apologize. So Mal stepped quietly inside the house. Weren’t for his big blue eyes, she would’ve missed him in the dark.

 

“Mal…”

 

Harry was sitting on the couch still. Gil was fast asleep next to him.

 

“I don’t want to talk to you.” Mal bitterly answered.

 

“Please, just hear me out.” Harry begged, standing up but without approaching her, afraid she’d flinch.

 

For some reason, Mal nodded and crossed her arms, waiting.

 

“Look, I just want to say I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t know ye couldn’t swim and I should’ve never done what I did anyway. I don’t even know what I’m going to do about Uma because I didn’t even know she could be that type of lass. Ye don’t have to forgive me but I needed to say it.” Harry spoke so fast, it was almost impossible to understand what he was saying behind his thick accent.

 

“Uma really fucked us all over, didn’t she?” Mal ironically remarked.

 

Harry ran a hand through his hair, looking distressed.

 

Mal looked at him as another pawn in Uma’s sick game, so she made a decision.

 

“I won’t be mad at you forever. Because I think you deserve a chance to think and act for yourself and that’s something I hope you’ll do from now on. But tonight, I am pissed.” Mal stated. “About Uma…I’d dump the fuck out of her but I can’t tell you what to do. Do what you feel it’s right in your heart I guess.”

 

“I love her, ye know?” Harry admitted, almost ashamed.

 

Mal’s heart ached for a moment. Yet another victim of love. She looked at his distressed expression and realized she was looking at herself.

 

Mal nodded and quietly left, leaving Harry who collapsed on the couch once more without another word.

 

Mal stopped in front of the room door and was startled to find Carlos coming up the stairs.

 

“Fuck, you scared me!” Mal hissed. “I was just downstairs, why didn’t I see you?”

 

“I just went to the bathroom, chill.” Carlos whispered back. “Are you going inside?”

 

“That’s the plan.” Mal nervously answered.

 

“Hey, you got this.” Carlos encouraged her with a smile and then left, not wanting to stall even more.

 

Mal checked her phone. ‘3:24’ in the morning. She opened the door, stepped inside and closed it as fast and as gently as she could.

 

Evie was asleep on her side of the bed right next to the candle that went out in the meanwhile. Mal sighted, flickered her wrist to light it up again and in that moment, Evie’s eyes shot wide open and Mal was startled so bad her legs had her back glued to the door.

 

“Holy fuck.” She cursed under her breath, her heart hammering in her chest, as Evie rubbed her eyes and got up.

 

“ _What the hell?_ ” Evie asked and Mal was suddenly reminded of herself asking the same question not so long ago. This time around it was Mal who was on an uncomfortable position and Evie was asking the questions.

 

But Mal couldn’t say a word and was paralyzed on the spot. She didn’t know what to answer to Evie, she had no idea of what to do when Evie was standing there with her hands on her hips demanding for an answer. That’s when Mal took a real look a her. Her tired brown eyes looked golden in the candle light, her long blue hair was messy, her mascara was smudged and she had eyeliner all over her face. Because she had been crying and didn’t bother to take it all off. But Mal couldn’t help but find her beautiful anyway.

 

“What the hell?” Evie repeated, still expecting an answer despise the long period of silence and Mal’s apathy.

 

Mal was still glued to the spot.

 

“It wasn’t lit.” She managed to whisper pointing to the candle.

 

“And why do you care?” Evie was clearly being defensive, not wanting to be hurt again. Her voice sounded so bland. But her eyes were studying Mal, looking for god knows what.

 

Mal opened her mouth but no sound came out. She wanted to say she cared, she cared oh so very much. Mal had a lot she wanted to say.

 

She couldn’t understand why her chest was so damn tight, why her body wouldn’t comply, why her voice seemed to abandon her. Mal felt like she was underwater again, where she couldn’t scream, where she felt her insides burning, where she was drowning and where she felt helpless and powerless. All because, for the first time, she found herself unable to face Evie’s anger, Evie’s cold stare, Evie’s indifference.

 

She felt so tiny inside that room with Evie. All the horrible things she ever said and did to Evie were cutting her insides like a bunch of rusty knifes. Evie was a genuinely good person and Mal failed to see that, every single time. How could Evie ever be friends with such a disgusting person who was responsible for all the misery in her life? How could Evie ever love someone as unworthy as Mal?

 

So, Mal ran. Again. Off the door, down the stairs, off the house until she was back to her van. Her breathing was unsteady and she leaned on one of the van doors. She opened it to get inside but the shame of running away again created a bubble of anger in her belly.

 

Mal slammed the door as hard as she could and the loud metallic sound echoed in the silent night. Mal then slammed her fists on the glass so hard she was surprised it didn’t break.

 

“I’m such a fucking disgrace.” Mal muttered to herself, her forehead touching the glass as her tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks and all the way to the floor. She closed her eyes furiously.

 

“Mal?”

 

Mal turned to find Evie standing there and almost ran out of air. How long had Evie been standing there?

 

Evie looked at Mal. Her dark purple hair still had grains of salt, was really messy, her bright green eyes were absolutely blood shot, her tears were violently falling and her entire complexion was staring at Evie, completely terrified, just like in the room.

 

Evie wanted to be mad at Mal. Evie wanted to hate Mal. But deep inside, Evie knew she couldn’t. She didn’t want to. Mal entered that room with a purpose. And Evie knew Mal wanted to make things right. Evie knew Mal was a good person and more importantly Evie wasn’t innocent as she also said and thought some horrible things about Mal.

 

Evie took a step closer. And another. And another.

 

“What are you doing?” Mal asked.

 

“I’m being your friend.” Evie answered with honesty.

 

“We’re not friends anymore. So, just leave. Last time didn’t go so well.” Mal whispered, looking down.

 

“Yeah…” Evie agreed. “But, you were scared. You almost died Mal... And I forgive you. Not just for this. For all of it.”

 

Mal couldn’t understand. How could Evie forgive her? She wiped away her tears aggressively.

 

“I-I didn’t ask for that.”

 

“Well, that’s too bad. I forgive you.” Evie’s voice was sweet and determined.

 

Evie walked until she was close enough to Mal and stretched her arms. Mal’s eyes widened.

 

“Don’t be stupid, get away!”

 

But Evie didn’t stop there and hugged Mal, holding her tight.

 

“What the hell!? Let me go Evie! Let me go! _Let me go_!”

 

Mal tried to fight her way out of Evie’s embrace. She wasn’t worthy of it. She expected and wanted Evie to hate her, so she could validate the hatred she had for herself for making Evie’s life a living hell. Evie forgiving Mal’s entire spectrum of mistakes and saying it out loud? Mal couldn’t grasp it. But Evie held her ground taking in all of Mal’s frustration and confusion until she gave in, literally.

 

“Whoa!” Evie kept Mal from dropping on her knees and held her impossibly tighter.

 

“I don’t deserve this...” Mal whimpered.

 

Mal sobbed into Evie's chest and her hands gripped Evie's jacket. Mal was intense that way. She wasn't crying for just one reason, she was crying for all of them, the old and the new ones. Evie realized seeing Mal spiraling like that pained her more than anything Mal had ever said and done to her. Somehow, seeing Mal unhappy gave her chills, and not the good kind. Evie just wanted to take Mal's pain away. Evie wanted Mal to know she was feeling just as guilty. Mal grew up with such pain in her heart because of something Evie could’ve avoided. Mal had no idea how truly sorry Evie was.

 

"It's ok Mal. It's ok." Evie shushed her, resting her chin on the top of Mal's head.

 

"No, it's not." Mal sniffed, the sound of her voice muffled by Evie's jacket.

 

Then silence engulfed them and they stayed there, in each other’s arms.

 

Evie holding Mal until she calmed down and because she wanted to hold Mal more than anything.

 

Mal holding Evie because maybe like that she could feel Mal's regret.

 

Mal's breathing eventually steadied but even after that, she wouldn't let go of Evie. In fact, she held on to Evie like it was both the first and the last time.

 

Evie shifted ever so slightly because they've been standing for a long while.

 

"I don't deserve you being here, but please don't leave me." Mal begged.

 

"I wasn't going to." Evie reassured her. Mal's hands found their way to Evie's waist, again, and Evie realized she liked the way it felt.

 

"And if you didn't deserve it, I wouldn't be here." Evie added.

 

That made Mal look up and search for Evie’s brown eyes. She let go, slowly but didn’t step away from Evie, their bodies still touching. They were oblivious to how they were affecting the other with such proximity until they ended up just standing in front of each other, not touching anymore.

 

“You look tired.” Mal pointed out, scratching the back of her head.

 

“Let’s go back upstairs.” Evie suggested, hopeful.

 

Mal shook her head. Being inside reminded her of Uma, Harry and her feelings, things she didn’t want to face right now.

 

“I can’t go in there now.” Her voice a little husky but her fear became transparent.

 

Evie couldn’t understand because she didn’t know about Uma.

 

“Why?”

 

“I just can’t. Please get some sleep.” Mal asked.

 

Evie still didn’t understand, but she decided against forcing Mal to go with her.

 

“Ok.” She whispered. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

 

‘Of course.’ Mal thought.

 

“Are we…are we good?” Mal blurted out instead.

 

She sounded so vulnerable. Her voice was almost unrecognizable. And Evie saw Mal’s true self once more.

 

“Do you forgive me?” Evie answered Mal’s question with her own. And Evie sounded just as vulnerable to Mal. Mal finally payed enough attention to Evie’s eyes, those pretty eyes that hid a turmoil of guilt, so similar to her own.

 

Mal grabbed a lock of Evie’s blue hair and placed it behind her ear.

 

“Yes, I do. Of course.”

 

Honestly? Mal didn’t care about it anymore. Mal was tired of holding a grudge that brought them nothing but pain and misery.

 

Evie smiled, a big, bright and beautiful smile that reached her eyes and warmed Mal’s heart.

 

“Then yes, we are good.” Evie said as her hand reached for her necklace.

 

It was Mal’s turn to smile, a wickedly dashing smile that showed off an adorable pair of dimples. It looked so good on her, Evie thought.

 

Evie then left Mal and tip toed back to the bedroom. Maybe she could still get some sleep. She was about to lie down when she heard a knock on the door.

 

Weird.

 

Evie opened it to find Mal on the other side.

 

“Mal?”

 

“I was down there and I was so scared but I was thinking and I then I remembered what Jay said and you know what?” Mal rambled really fast and Evie barely understood her.

 

“What are you talking about? What?” Evie furrowed her brows, completely lost.

 

Mal came inside and closed the door, stepping closer to Evie. Evie suddenly felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.

 

“Fuck it.”

 

That was what Mal bravely announced before grabbing Evie by her jacket and pressing their lips together, taking the biggest leap of faith of her entire life, hoping that a bit of luck would come her way this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyaaaa! 
> 
> Guess what, despite my Spring Break being over I found a few openings during these days and finished another chapter for you guys!
> 
> For the Uma fans, I know Uma is only mentioned in this one but don't worry, you'll be hearing from her soon enough.
> 
> THANK YOU for all of your kind words and I hope you enjoy this one.
> 
> See you next chapter :) x


	5. Forces Of The Heart

Evie always wondered what her first kiss would be like. She would lay in bed at night and wonder about all the things she’d heard from her friends and the ones she’d read about in books.

 

Would she feel those butterflies in her stomach?

 

Would she get chills down her spine?

 

What would her suitors lips taste like?

 

Feel like?

 

Would she be the one to kiss first?

 

Would it be soft and careful or passionate and messy?

 

Would it be a mix of all the above?

 

And those weren’t even half the things Evie wondered about. Of course, she had many people, boys and girls, wanting to kiss her. But Evie, for some reason, never once felt a spark and never let them get close to her in fear she would get hurt. She wanted her first kiss to be special.

 

Here’s what Evie never wondered about, not in her wildest dreams, not wide awake, not in her worst nightmares: That her first kiss would be a certain purple haired girl. That her first kiss would be Mal.

 

Yet, there Evie was, with Mal’s lips on hers and what she was feeling was nothing like the innumerous things she imagined and her mind was racing at such a dangerous speed that her body wouldn’t move, leaving her to stand completely petrified, not knowing what the hell was happening to her. Her eyes, wide open, watched as Mal kissed her like it was the last thing she’d ever do.

 

Mal, on the other hand, had her fair share of kisses already, but was also experiencing something completely out of this world, finally confirming her own suspicions. Mal never felt quite so warm in her entire life. Evie’s lips were the best thing Mal had ever tasted and each second had Mal craving for more. She couldn’t remember a time where she was feeling this alive. That was it. Mal fell in love with Evie.

 

It all lasted a few seconds until Mal pulled away, because Evie not reacting in the slightest put the fear of god back into her, dissolving her little shot of bravery.

 

Mal stayed there though, with her eyes closed, breathing heavily and grabbing Evie’s jacket, afraid of facing Evie who had her heart hammering so hard in her chest she feared for her ribcage.

 

Mal slowly looked up, meeting Evie’s brown eyes, tainted with shock and confusion and her partially opened lips. Mal hands let go of Evie’s jacket like she was shocked and Evie could see Mal jolting back to reality.

 

Evie stepped back, moving for the first time in minutes, feeling dizzy and not really knowing why. And it was Evie’s turn of not being able to speak. She couldn’t. Her brain simply wasn’t working. Whatever she was feeling, it almost made Evie forget her name.

 

Mal shook her head. What the fuck was she thinking, kissing Evie!?

 

The silence between them was heavy with tension, so heavy it felt like an actual weight on the girls’ shoulders, which made it absolutely unbearable.

 

“What the actual fuck Mal Bertha?” Mal breathed out, forgetting that Evie could hear her loud and clear.

 

Evie opened her mouth but no sound came out, again.

 

“Fuck, I’m sorry. This was so stupid.” Mal blurted out and left, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

 

Evie stayed exactly where she was and her hands travelled fast, one to her hips, the other on her forehead.

 

“Oh my god…” She whispered, shaking from head to toe. Evie’s fingers found their way to her lips because she could still feel Mal’s, like a ghost haunting her.

 

My god, this night felt like a never ending weird ass dream.

 

//

 

Mal didn’t think things could get any worse, but worse they did. She got zero sleep and almost headbutted the door when she stumbled her way inside the house.

 

Harry looked a zombie, as he sat on the exact spot Mal left him hours ago. Gil slept but wasn’t a long slumber. Jay and Carlos looked like they also stayed up all night, as they all sat on the couch. And Evie? Evie sat quietly on the floor, not daring to even look up at Mal, who also avoided eye contact at all costs.

 

Jay and Carlos frowned, as they were sure they would come around. And Mal just stood there awkwardly, looking completely lost, regretting leaving her van. Her just standing there with a bunch of other people who were just as constricted as her and with everyone refusing to do anything about it looked like something straight out of that ridiculous reality show where they stuck a bunch of random people inside a house and waited for them to tear each other apart. This would all be very funny if Mal and Evie still hated each other. If that were the case, Mal would’ve easily found her way out of this thick silence with some sort of joke that would certainly be met with judging and cold eyes. Now that was a familiar feeling.

 

Not that Mal wanted to go back to that, but it was easier. But no, Mal had to fall for her and kiss the damn girl. Smooth, really smooth. So there Mal was, admiring Evie’s features, or at least the ones she could see, because Evie’s head was down, avoiding not only Mal, but also Jay and Carlos’ eyes. Why must Evie be so infuriatingly attractive?

 

In the end, Mal didn’t actually have to look for a spot to sit and pretend she wasn’t bothered by this ridiculous situation because Uma strutted down the stairs, looking fresh after a good night of sleep. She basked on the tired looks and on the intense atmosphere.

 

“Harry, grab us some breakfast.” Was all she said.

 

“No.”

 

Harry sounded exhausted, but his tone was firm.

 

Uma turned around, almost shocked.

 

“What do you mean, no?”

 

“I mean no, I won’t do as ye say anymore. Ye want food? Go get it.” Harry ran his hands through his hair furiously.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you Harry!? I’m your fucking girlfriend!” Uma finally showed signs of some emotion.

 

Harry stood up and his perfectly sculpted jaw was clenched.

 

“I’m not happy with our relationship anymore.” His voice was low but it cut Uma like a knife, as her complexion showed something none of them knew she could feel: Fear.

 

“What?”

 

“Ye heard it.” Harry huffed.

 

“What is there not to be happy about Harry!?”

 

“Oh my **_god_** Uma! Ye keep pushing me around like I’m a puppy and I let ye because I was in love with ye! Ye **_manipulated_** me! Mal almost **_drowned_** because I was stupid enough to listen to ye!” Harry took several steps forward, enouncing every word with more and more exasperation than the last. He truly looked like he was about to pull out his hair, completely amazed that Uma failed to grasp how horrible the things she was doing were. Everyone else was just standing there, watching the both of them, not wanting to move in the slightest. Uma looked genuinely upset and tried to reason with him.

 

“Harry- “

 

He stepped closer, right front of her and looked her in the eye.

 

“Ye took advantage of my feelings. I gave ye my heart and ye played with it and had me doing your bloody dirty work. So ye know what Uma? **We’re done**.”

 

He went for the door but Uma grabbed him by his arm.

 

“We’re done?” Mal blinked. Uma sounded…heartbroken? Was that it?

 

“Ay. We are done. I’m done being a puppet. Now let me go.” Harry yanked his arm, free from Uma’s grip and slammed the door behind him.

 

The room went silent as no one dared to say a word. Mal wouldn’t let it show, but she couldn’t help but feel happy that Harry was finally taking control of his own life and stood up for himself for once.

 

Uma then turned around and pulled Mal out of the house by her arm, slamming the door even harder than Harry did just a few moments ago, leaving everyone stunned.

 

“What the fuck!?” Mal protested.

 

“YOU COSTED ME MY BOYFRIEND YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Uma yelled and that would’ve startled Mal if Uma didn’t have tears in her eyes. If it was anger, hate, sadness or all of them, Mal couldn’t really tell. Mal was still numb and it had nothing to do with the all-nighter she pulled.

 

“Me!? Using him to indulge your madness is low, even for you. It’s not my fault he snapped! Also, I almost drowned because of you, you fucking lunatic!” Mal spat, her blood boiling.

 

Uma didn’t flinch. She wiped away her tears and stepped closer to Mal.

 

“You ruined my life! My reputation! Everything!” Uma growled.

 

Mal let out a dry laugh.

 

“What about me you witch? What about **my** life? You almost took mine!”

 

“You didn’t have to play.” Uma was back on offense.

 

“You fucking threatened me.” Mal answered in a low, dangerous husk.

 

Uma suddenly smirked.

 

“I made a threat, yes, but not to you, not directly.”

 

“Same thing.” Mal easily answered. But her hands curled into fists anyway.

 

Uma faked a gasp.

 

“Oh my god I was right.”

 

Mal realized what she had said and sighted, furious that her mind could not tell the difference between right and wrong anymore.

 

Uma laughed. Mal was disgusted by how easily Uma forgot about Harry in favor of attacking her instead.

 

“I can’t believe Mal Bertha really sacrificed herself for someone else. How’s **love** treating you Bertha?”

 

“Don’t.” Mal warned. She tried to sound menacing but her voice cracked, betraying her and giving Uma all the ammunition that she needed.

 

“Look at that, did little Mal get her heart broken? Again?” Uma mocked her, a sickly laugh followed her words.

 

Mal wouldn’t be bothered if Uma wasn’t right, but she was, yet again. Because for a few moments, Mal thought she had a chance and the truth is she never had one. She had been stupid enough to fall for a girl she could never have and to make it all better, she kissed said girl who didn’t react the way Mal wished she did. So, Uma mocked Mal’s pained expression, the tears that fell from her eyes and her shaking fists.

 

“Well, that makes two of us then. Harry will never come back to you.” Mal held her ground though and taunted her back. Uma’s jaw clenched just for a few moments.

 

“Maybe he won’t, but at least he was mine. I had his heart. Someone like you will never have anyone’s heart. Especially not **hers**.”

 

That was the breaking point for Mal as she grabbed Uma’s collarbone and punched her with her free fist. Blood from Uma’s now busted lip spilled all over Mal’s hand and Uma’s sweater. Uma wasted no time and punched Mal back. Mal spat blood right into Uma’s face and had her two hands on Uma’s collarbone now.

 

“Shut the fuck up! Don’t talk about her! Not after you looked me in the eye and fucking threatened her! I won’t let you touch her! I’d drown a hundred times over if I have to!” Mal yelled in between hard breaths. Mal’s body was shaking from how angry she was.

 

Uma just laughed, yet again. Being punched in the face was worth it if it meant she could have this much fun.

 

“Say it Mal!” Uma shouted. “Say it or I will!”

 

Mal’s blood felt like lava in her veins.

 

“Shut up!!” Mal shouted even louder, unaware of the volume of her voice.

 

“Say it Mal, say it! Say that you lo- “

 

Mal couldn’t take it anymore. Her everything was boiling and her heart was viciously pounding into her ribcage.

 

“ **YES**! Ok!? Is that what you want to hear!? Yes, **I fucking love her**!”

 

Her hands left Uma’s clothes and grabbed the purple hair on the top of her head, like if she pulled hard enough, all those emotions would just leave her overwhelmed brain. She said that out loud. She yelled it in fact.

 

Mal then felt someone pulling her away from Uma. It was Carlos. Uma tried to reach Mal again but Gil was right behind her, holding her arms and body.

 

“That’s enough.” Carlos firmly stated, glaring at Uma.

 

Mal and Uma were so into their own fight that they failed to see that everyone had been outside, listening to them and waiting to intervene if things got ugly.

 

Mal felt sick to her stomach as she saw Evie next to Jay, a look of shock and something else in her face. Something Mal didn’t even try to find out what it was, as she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

 

“Mal. Mal, c’mon.” Carlos pulled Mal inside, up the stairs and into the bathroom locking the door.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Carlos asked, while he took a bottle of peroxide from the cabinet.

 

“Haven’t I said more than enough?” Mal quietly answered.

 

Carlos knew better than to push her. So, he nodded and fetched a piece of cotton. Then he carefully disinfected the wound in Mal’s lip and the scratch Uma’s nails left on her face.

 

“I kissed her Carlos.” Mal admitted.

 

Carlos dropped the cotton. That was the last thing the young boy was expecting to hear.

 

“You did **_what_** now?”

 

“I kissed Evie.” Mal repeated, sighting.

 

Carlos was about to answer but Mal held a finger to his lips.

 

“I have no fucking clue of why I did that.”

 

Carlos held a small smile. A smile because despise the messed-up scenario, he had never seen Mal like this. If anyone deserved to have some real happiness in her life, it was Mal. Mal had a tough exterior, but Carlos knew better. Mal wouldn’t show it or ask for it, but she craved acceptance, love and affection from those around her. She needed constant reminders that she was worth or having such things. And for the first time since knowing her, Carlos was looking at Mal and watched as her most vulnerable layers crawled from the dark place they were kept in as they spoke. In the end, Mal was just a normal teenage girl.

 

“I do. You’re in love Mal.”

 

That was a strong statement Carlos made there. Mal was never a positive person anyway.

 

“Well, that doesn’t matter because she doesn’t like me.”

 

Carlos carefully wiped the excess of peroxide from Mal’s wounds and she made a huge effort to not flinch. He watched as her eyes, that avoided his, emanated something Carlos could easily read as sadness. They were as bright green as always but they were missing the sparkle.

 

“How would you know that?” He inquired.

 

“Well when you kiss someone and they don’t kiss you back, that usually sends a message.” Mal huffed getting up. Carlos was not going to stop her but still the boy spoke.

 

“Mal?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Don’t lose hope. Evie is not like everyone else.” Carlos was really fond of his friend and Mal could tell.

 

“I know she’s not.” Mal reassured him with a tiny smile. “Thank you for taking care of me Carlos. I really appreciate it and I know I don’t say it enough.” Mal expressed her gratitude by pulling Carlos into a tight hug.

 

“I will always take care of you.” Carlos tenderly replied, hugging Mal back.

 

Mal didn’t know where else to go at this point. Being inside that cursed house wasn’t an option and as much as she wanted to grab her van and leave, she would never leave her friends behind. The house was quiet and she was hoping she didn’t have to cross paths with anyone. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to.

 

So Mal and her bag ended up on a quiet corner of the massive beach, one people didn’t pay attention to because they were too focused on getting a tan. There were a bunch of big rocks where one could sit and admire the mighty ocean. Mal found her way into one of them and sat there, just listening to the symphony. The wind blowing softly. The sound of the waves crashing immediately followed by the bubbling foam, almost like the sound of a fizzy drink being poured into a glass.

 

Mal inhaled deeply. From there, the ocean looked beautiful and tempting. Mal loved drawing the ocean because of fantastic views like this one. She flipped through the pages of her sketch book, finding her drawing of the beach seen from the bar. The drawing she worked really hard on perfecting because she wanted Evie to see it.

 

Mal took another look at the ocean, so blue, and couldn’t help but think of Evie.

 

And just like that, Mal found herself drawing Evie’s blue locks. Evie’s big brown eyes. Evie’s plump lips. Evie’s naturally tanned skin. Mal had a gift for remembering the tiniest details and could draw something from scratch using only her visual memory. Also, Evie’s insane beauty is not something Mal could ever forget. No, Mal could never forget how Evie’s lips tasted like apple with a hint of cinnamon. No, Mal could never forget how Evie’s lips felt so soft, touching her own. Mal realized she would have to hold on to that lingering feeling for the rest of her life.

 

“…Can I join you?”

 

Mal was jolted back to reality, tensing up as she saw the princess she was drawing and drooling over timidly asking for her attention. Evie felt so bad, interrupting Mal in the middle of a drawing, again.

 

Mal wanted to say no she couldn’t, because the last thing she wanted was the ‘friendzone talk’ but still, she scooted over without a word, leaving room for Evie to sit down next to her, if she wanted to, which she carefully did. Evie couldn’t help but notice Mal’s busted lip and the obnoxious scratch on her cheek and frowned. The silence between them made Mal realize they weren’t going to discuss the kiss or what Evie heard Mal say during her fight with Uma. Mal wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Evie wanted to though. She just didn’t know what to say. Mal, for some reason knew exactly what to say in that moment.

 

“My mom has magic, so she was sure I had it as well, being her daughter and all. She never wanted me to learn, she just wanted me to have it so she could strip me of it and claim it as her own, enhancing her own magical powers. But for the longest time I didn’t show any signs of being magical. She thought I was hiding them from her, so she would put me through near death experiences, to see if I’d use my powers to save myself. She used to throw me into the water and watched as I drowned. She’d only save me because she needed my powers. I was useless to her otherwise. That’s all I ever was to her. A disappointment. Weak and useless. I don’t hate the beach, I don’t even hate the ocean. I hate that my life experience gets in the way of me enjoying a few days in the beach with my friends. I never go in the water because I’m immediately flooded by memories. Uma knows because she used to be my friend once.”

 

Evie listened quietly to Mal’s moment of vulnerability and she couldn’t stop the tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes. Mal wasn’t deserving of such cruel actions. Evie had been the one to curiously ask why Mal didn’t like the beach, not knowing the answer would slice her heart like a sharp blade.

 

“I can’t change what happened to you, but I want you to know you’re not weak, useless or a disappointment of any sort. And Uma was never your friend.” Evie replied almost as quietly as she listened to Mal’s words.

 

Mal felt her heart a little warmer. Evie was not apologizing or telling her how her past would magically go away and her eyes did not show pity. Only understanding and an overwhelming amount of sadness. Mal didn’t exactly know what to answer though, so she nodded and gave Evie a small smile. A smile that faded as Mal changed her focus to the ocean in front of them, knowing that what she was about to say was going to change the tone of rather easy conversation they were having.

 

“What is it that you want to say to me? I know you didn’t come here just for the lovely view.”

 

Evie tensed up in her seat. ‘ _I don’t really know?’_ Evie thought. Her brain was hurting. The kiss. Mal fiercely saying she’d drown a hundred times over if that meant protecting Evie from Uma’s malice. Mal confessing her feelings, unaware that Evie was listening to her. The candles making more sense than ever.

 

“You kissed me.” Evie managed to get out, knowing that was far from what Mal wanted to hear.

 

Mal hummed in response, keeping her eyes on the horizon, knowing that she’d burst into tears if she dared to look at Evie as she broke her heart again.

 

“And then you said it was stupid.” Evie continued, her voice trembling.

 

“I don’t regret it, if that’s what you’re asking.” Mal easily answered.

 

Evie looked down, processing the information. Mal could see her puzzled look through her peripheral vision.

 

“I just…It’s a lot to process. What you said- “

 

“You were not supposed to hear that.” Mal huffed, mad at herself for her lack of self-control. “But I don’t regret that either.” She added.

 

Evie’s head was spinning. She wasn’t losing her mind. Mal really kissed her and Mal really admitted she had feelings for Evie. Did Evie have those feelings for Mal? Were all the news sensations Evie was experiencing that thing Evie read about in the books? What she saw between her two good friends Carlos and Jay? Was she experiencing love? Did she want Mal to kiss her again? She really didn’t know because every tiny emotion was messing with her. She had never been in love, heck Mal had been her first kiss ever.

 

“How long?” Evie’s voice came out as a loud whisper, almost afraid to be heard.

 

Mal tilted her head slightly.

 

“I don’t really know. Maybe I always felt like this. Maybe I felt like this before I even knew what it meant. But hating you was easier.” Mal confessed.

 

Evie felt her body going numb. That would explain a lot about why Mal had never been able to let go of the pain of being left out. Evie didn’t understand most of what she was feeling and definitely wasn’t ready to confront her feelings.

 

“I’m sorry I don’t have the answers you want.” Evie sadly said, trying her best not to cry.

 

Mal finally looked at Evie and a sharp pain crossed her heart.

 

“Promise me something.” Mal requested.

 

Evie felt a chill down her spine over Mal’s serious tone but nodded.

 

“Promise me you’ll let me go. Promise me you won’t try to be my friend anymore. Because my heart can only take so much.”

 

Evie’s blood went cold.

 

“ _What_!? Mal- “

 

“ **Do you love me?** ”

 

Evie froze. She couldn’t possibly give an answer to Mal, not right this instant. She couldn’t give an answer because she didn’t know what answer to give Mal. Her silence was so long Mal simply looked down, trying to hide her sadness, like she was fully expecting it.

 

“……. That’s what I thought.”

 

Then Evie saw Mal handing her the sketch book.

 

“What are you doing?” Evie asked in confusion.

 

“Take it.” Mal answered shrugging. “I know you’ve been dying to see what’s inside.”

 

Mal hopped from the rock. Evie wanted to stop her. She hated how Mal always seemed to escape her grasp. But her brain and her body refused to collaborate.

 

“If you need me, you probably know where to find me.” Mal quietly said, and Evie watched as the purple haired beauty dragged her feet back to the house. Evie saw how Mal wiped away her tears with her forearm while she walked and watched her until she was out of sight.

 

Then Evie looked at the tiny book in her hands.

 

It wasn’t a lie. Evie did want to see Mal’s art. But this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. She was hoping she could look at it, with Mal by her side, so Evie could tell her how amazing and talented Mal was. She was hoping she could see Mal’s dashing smile and her cute dimples. But Mal was gone.

 

Evie opened the book and the first thing she found were doodles of random things or random words. Mal had that book with her since she was a child so it was only natural for Evie to find her early attempts at drawing. Which she found cute and cool because even as a little girl, Evie could easily see Mal had it in her, the lines were neater than the average child and the coloring wasn't random or out of the previously drawn lines. Evie smiled.

 

As Mal grew up, her drawing became artier and more detailed. Evie noticed how every drawing was in shades of grey. Yet, she couldn’t help but gasp and smile at Mal’s amazing talent as she flipped through the pages and found beautiful landscapes, abstract drawings and objects Evie assumed Mal found pretty or challenging enough to draw.

 

Another page, a drawing of two dragons that together were shaped like a heart and Evie recognized it as the symbol Mal carried with her on the back of her favorite purple leather jacket.

 

Evie then stopped on a certain page. She recognized immediately the beach she was currently in. That was the drawing Mal was working in the bar the other day. And Evie decided it was her favorite. Mal’s ability to capture the beauty of the view she had in front of her was mesmerizing.

 

On the corner of the drawing Evie noticed something that didn’t belong to the beautiful beach. There was a little crown doodled. ‘Show Evie when finished’ was the phrase attached to the crown. Evie grinned at the thought of an excited Mal showing her the drawing.

 

Evie flipped the page and she wasn’t ready to see Mal’s latest drawing. She gasped and her hand travelled to her mouth in surprise and absolute wonder as she was looking at a drawing of herself in screaming color. Her blue waves, her brown eyes, every feature was captured so gracefully Evie almost believed she was looking at herself in the mirror.

 

Under the drawing Evie read: ‘Blue looks so good on you the ocean would be jealous.’

 

Evie would cry of joy at the beautiful gesture, but she couldn’t because Mal was gone and Evie couldn’t help but believe she had lost her forever.

 

Mal was gone and Evie probably would never hear of her again after this week was over.

 

Maybe Evie did love Mal. Because the pain that was now squeezing her heart, burning her brain, twisting her insides and sucking the air out of her lungs as she remembered Mal’s request of letting her go was feeling a lot like a broken heart.

 

So, Evie shut the book and hugged it, close to her heart, as she let her tears fall free wondering if she had truly lost her chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyaaaaaa it's me again!
> 
> This fic is so close to 1k, and you have no idea of how much that warms my heart. Thank you so much for giving this story a shot and despise this chapter being heavy on feels, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think?
> 
> See you next chapter :) x


	6. Illusion

Evie never thought she’d feel any negative emotion while sitting on the beach, surrounded by all the best things summer has to offer. Yet, there she was, wanting to be anywhere else but there.

 

They still had two days left until the week was over. Of course, they could simply go home, but the truth is that no one really wanted to go back. Evie noticed that they were a distinctive group of teens because they all had something in common. Life at home wasn’t easy and anything was better than staying there for too long. Oh, and like most teens, they hated school.

 

Not that Evie hated school. No, in fact she loved it. Going home to her vain mother was just not something she wanted. But going home knowing she broke Mal’s heart was truly the worst part of it all. Mal.

 

Mal, who sat at the bar once more, away from everyone with a bunch of paper sheets. She was not about to ask for her sketch book back and Evie hadn’t had the guts to give it back.

 

“Evie. Evie!”

 

Evie didn’t even know when Jay had gotten there. Jay who was playing soccer with Carlos, Gil and Harry, an attempt to distract themselves. Evie was astonished that Harry hadn’t left yet. When she timidly asked him why he stayed, he explained that he didn’t want to leave anyone alone with Uma who had been locked inside her room since Gil took her away from Mal by force.

 

But Evie knew that he really meant he didn’t want to leave his friend Gil alone and that he felt responsible for what happened to Mal and wanted to make sure Uma wouldn’t try anything else. So, he stayed but asked Mal if he could crash inside her van. To which she agreed. They seemed to be healing and that made Evie somewhat happy for them.

 

“Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.” Evie apologized.

 

“Clearly.” Jay chuckled lightly. “Come play with us. I hate seeing you here alone.”

 

Evie could see the worry behind his dark eyes. And the confusion. Mal hadn’t said a single word to anyone since her last talk with Evie.

 

“Jay...”

 

Jay frowned.

 

“You know you don’t have to bottle up your feelings, right?” Jay asked.

 

Evie knew. Evie knew she could trust Jay. And she knew Jay was desperate to help. It was bad enough that Mal wasn’t talking at all, making the boy really worried. But what could Evie say? She felt completely lost. She wanted to make it right with Mal so bad and she was struggling so hard with respecting Mal’s wish of staying away from her.

 

She wanted to take Mal’s pain away but she couldn’t. She wanted to be sure about her feelings for Mal. She didn’t want to give Mal hope until she was sure of what she was feeling. Was it sympathy for the girl over the way she was treated by her barbaric mother? Was it just the pain of losing a friendship that actually meant a lot to Evie? Was her brain just overwhelmed by all the events? Evie never felt so conflicted in her entire life. She should be able to know the answer. This should be an easy statement. She either loved Mal or she didn’t.

 

“I know.” Evie almost forgot to answer Jay’s question so she breathed out her response and managed to smile.

 

Jay nodded and went back to where the other boys were, now taking a break, sitting on the sand. Jay joined them, sitting next to Carlos.

 

“Guys?” Gil spoke first, to the amusement of everyone. The three boys turned their heads, letting him know they were listening.

 

“I really want us to stay friends.”

 

“What makes ye think we won’t be anymore?” Harry answered.

 

“Well...You know I never had many friends. I was never a kid who stood out and no one ever wanted to hang out with me. Uma was the one who took me under her wing and I held on to that. Then she met you, but now things are…different and I realized that who I really want to stay friends with is you Harry.” Gil smiled. “And you guys too. And the girls too if they want to.”

 

“I’ll always be your friend mate.” Harry replied immediately grinning at the boy.

 

“Yeah buddy, we’re your friends.” Carlos said, also holding a smile. He knew how hard it was to feel invisible and knew that Gil could really use some real friends.

 

“What Carlos said. And I’m sure Evie and Mal would love to be your friends.” Jay patted Gil’s shoulder.

 

Gil grinned, content that he wasn’t rejected and nodded.

 

“Thanks guys.”

 

“It’s getting late, we should head back.” Harry pointed out. He and Gil got up.

 

“You go ahead, we’ll be right behind you.” Carlos said.

 

The boys gave him thumbs up and made their way back. Jay turned to Carlos.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“How is Evie?”

 

“Very glum. And Mal isn’t talking. It’s been a while since she’s done that. I’m worried.” Jay confessed.

 

“You have to give them some time, given what happened.” Carlos wisely said. Jay furrowed his brows and Carlos gasped. A giddy grin appeared to grace the young boy’s features.

 

“You don’t know?” He asked.

 

“Know what?” Jay crossed his arms.

 

“Mal kissed Evie.” Carlos easily said, knowing he had just dropped a bomb on his boyfriend and watched as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

 

“MAL DID WHAT!?” Jay yelled, incredulous.

 

Carlos hit Jay’s arm.

 

“Stop yelling, will you?” Carlos hissed while looking around seeing if anyone had heard Jay’s obnoxious reaction. Jay blinked and realized just how loud he spoke.

 

“Sorry. How do you know? Why am I only hearing this now?”

 

“Relax Jay.” Carlos chuckled. “Mal told me when I was cleaning her wounds from her fight with Uma.”

 

Jay hummed in response.

 

“And it didn’t go the way she wanted.” Jay concluded.

 

“No.” Carlos sighted. Jay started walking but Carlos grabbed his arm.

 

“Jay, I know you want to help. I want to help too, but I think we should let them figure this out on their own.”

 

“But they’re both miserable! I hate it!” Jay protested.

 

“I know. But this isn’t about us, it’s about them. Let them come to us instead.” Carlos replied holding Jay’s hand.

 

Jay knew Carlos was right. Damn his boyfriend was such an intelligent young boy and he was thankful that whenever Jay was about to do some crazy shit, Carlos was right there to offer his guidance.

 

“I guess you’re right C.” Jay huffed.

 

“I’m right a lot.” Carlos winked and Jay ruffled his hair in return.

 

“You’re lucky I love you.” Jay chuckled.

 

“Hmm, I really am.” Carlos smiled and got on his tip toes to peck Jay’s lips.

 

Hand holding, they made their way back and noticed Evie was gone. Mal was still at the bar drawing.

 

“I’ll go get her.” Carlos said.

 

Jay nodded and watched as Carlos made his way to the bar. Then he finished the walk to the house and found Evie sitting in the porch.

 

He took a few more steps, making his presence known.

 

“The guys are inside watching tv.” Evie said. Jay could see it now. The conflict behind her eyes. He wanted so bad to stay and sit next to her but he remembered Carlos’ words.

 

Evie caught up on his rather desperate attempt to end their interaction and go inside and felt bad for shutting him out.

 

“Why can’t I figure this out?” Evie’s question gave Jay permission to sit beside her and he gave her an inquiring look, as he didn’t know exactly what she meant.

 

“I mean, when you fall in love, you’re supposed to know how it feels right? You know, I’ve never been in love before but I should be able to know if what I’m feeling is love or not right?” Evie gave Jay the context he needed. He thought about her words for a bit before giving his answer.

 

“Not exactly. I’ve been in love with Carlos way before I knew this is how it feels. I called it a whole bunch of other names before I ever considered love, especially because I’m really not that in touch with my feelings. He seemed to have everything figured out while I stood there, looking like a fucking idiot.”

 

Evie scoffed, hearing Jay’s words and knowing that it was exactly what happened to her. Mal figured it out and Evie just stood there, not knowing what was going on.

 

“Don’t hang on to the stereotypical things you hear. You’re not supposed to have everything figured out all the time neither you should want that for you. I learnt that from being with Carlos. He’s young but he’s so mature at the same time. Being with him taught me that taking your time to figure things out is ok. Life is a process of discovering and learning. And love happens to be a part of that life. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

 

Evie looked at Jay with wonder in her eyes. It was impossible not to smile. Jay and Carlos really were right for each other. Carlos learnt about self-worth and how what he wanted mattered. Jay realized that it’s ok to take his time through life.

 

“Look at you, being all insightful.” She playfully added.

 

Jay chuckled awkwardly, not used to this type of compliments.

 

“But time is not something I have. After we go home, it’s over.” Evie sadly pointed out.

 

“What makes you think it’s over? We do go to the same school.” Jay replied confused.

 

Evie rested her chin on her knees.

 

“Because she asked me to stay away from her.”

 

Jay’s expression was of realization. Mal kissed Evie. Evie didn’t kiss back. Mal didn’t want to get hurt so she pushed Evie away and became radio silent to avoid the topic. Evie had no idea of what to do. Evie could see him putting the pieces together.

 

“We’re back at the start Jay. We’re here avoiding each other and now it actually hurts. I fucked it up.”

 

Jay shifted, so he was kneeling in front of Evie, his hands on her shoulders.

 

“Don’t say that. You didn’t fuck anything up, and neither did Mal. It’s no one’s fault. Sometimes love works out and it’s beautiful. Sometimes it doesn’t and there’s no one to blame. And most of the times it just takes a while to work out.” Jay was looking into Evie’s eyes, trying his best to make a point. Evie was drawn to his serious tone, serious like she had never heard him be.

 

“You and Carlos seem to have everything under control.” Evie pointed out, not quite convinced, her mind still racing, still thinking about Mal.

 

Jay let out a sad laugh.

 

“E, maybe now we are a little less messy but do you really think it started that way? I have the emotional range of a tea spoon! I’m so dense I didn’t realize Carlos was in love with me until he yelled in my face. And after that, it took me ages to get my shit together. I still can’t believe Carlos actually waited for me. Then we actually started dating and it was new territory for both of us. We had so many fights until we learnt that we’re in this together. Still to this day we have fights. Because that’s part of the package. It’s like I said earlier. It’s about learning. You’re always learning, even when you’re in a stable relationship.”

 

Evie felt her eyes water and looked down. Jay adopted a softer tone.

 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is…don’t lose hope E. Even if after this you realize that you can’t give her what she wants, don’t give up on Mal, because the moment you do, that’s when you’ll truly lose her.”

 

Evie looked back at Jay so see the boy smiling at her, a comforting smile and offered one of her own. Jay’s words echoed in her mind, adding fuel to the fire show inside her.

 

“Thank you, Jay.”

 

“Jay.”

 

Jay turned around to see Carlos, who called his name trying to warn him, walking towards them, with Mal by his side, bag on her shoulder and hands shoved inside the pockets of her ripped jeans. Evie took a good look at her. Her green eyes were looking dull and were obviously avoiding eye contact. They were focused on her combat boots and some rock that she was kicking just so she could focus on something that wasn’t Evie.

 

“Hey guys.” Jay greeted them, a little uncertain of what he should do next.

 

For a moment, no one said anything. Evie could see it. The boys wanting to help, but also knowing not to step over the line. Mal wanting to leave at all costs but storming off wasn’t an option. Evie wanting…. What did Evie want?

 

“I uhm... I still have your sketch book. I’m sure you want it back.” Evie didn’t remember deciding to speak but her quiet voice was heard anyway.

 

The boys turned to Mal who was now looking up and staring right into Evie’s eyes like she was only now realizing that Evie was there. And Evie couldn’t read her. Heck, Evie couldn’t even read herself. But they were completely zoned out, as they looked into each other’s eyes, as their minds raced. Evie’s chest constricted, like the air was being sucked out of the atmosphere. ‘ _Is this what you feel when the person you like shows up?’_ , Evie thought.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Mal mumbled back, lowering her eyes again.

 

Everything got worse when they realized Jay and Carlos found their way into the house, leaving both of them alone. Mal took that as her cue and started walking towards her van. Evie found herself wanting to stop her, like she wanted to stop her at the beach. Then she remembered Jay’s words. This time, Evie didn’t stay still.

 

“Stop walking away from me.” Evie asked, getting up.

 

Mal stopped on her tracks but didn’t turn.

 

“I have to.” Was Mal’s answer.

 

“No, you don’t. Is that what we’re doing now? Do you really want to go back to ignoring each other? To hating each other? We’re better than that!” Evie didn’t feel in control of what was coming out of her mouth, yet she felt like she was doing the right thing. Maybe things were becoming a little clearer for her.

 

Mal turned around this time, her hands curling into fists defensively out of habit, her body tensed up. None of which matched the fear that was coating her eyes.

 

“Don’t-Don’t say that. We- I don’t hate you.” Mal’s voice also didn’t match the aggressive position her body was in, sounding vulnerable, quiet and uncertain.

 

Evie’s stomach dropped. Mal was in so much pain. Evie wanted to hug the girl, wanted to make her feel better.

 

“I don’t hate you either. And I’m not giving up on you Mal.” Evie confidently said, wondering if she could somehow make things better.

 

Mal felt her blood turn to ice.

 

“You promised.” Mal pointed out, taking a step back.

 

“Well, I don’t want to keep that promise.”

 

“You don’t get to do that after you **rejected me**.”

 

‘Rejected’. That word hit Evie like a war tank. Mal felt rejected. And Evie couldn’t blame her. Evie didn’t give her any reason to think otherwise and crushed Mal’s hopes.

 

“I didn’t- “

 

“Bullshit.” Mal’s tone became more hostile.

 

“I didn’t! It isn’t fair and you know it! You know I’m having a hard time processing all of this! Have you thought about how it’s affecting me? Do you even care about my feelings?” Evie raised her voice, not yelling but enough to startle Mal who wasn’t used to Evie’s newly found aggressive tone.

 

“Fuck Evie, of course I do!”

 

Evie was right though. Mal didn’t even think about how Evie could be feeling, at least not after the kiss. But the pain was blinding her. Her mother thought of her as a disappointment. Her father? Mal didn’t even know the guy. No siblings. Was always treated as a reject and only Jay and Carlos came to change that.

 

“Then why are you being this defensive? Why can’t we be friends and work this out? Together?” Evie returned to her normal voice, for the sake of trying to reason with Mal.

 

For a while, Mal’s eyes softened.

 

“I’ve been rejected my whole life Evie. You’ve done it to me twice now. I can’t help it.”

 

“It doesn’t have to be like this Mal. Let me be your friend like I know you wanted me to be. Then we’ll work it from there. This is all new to me, I just need you to give me a chance.”

 

But Mal just shook her head and looked back at Evie with tears in her eyes. There was no way Mal was going to let Evie in again, only for her to hurt her more. Even though she wanted Evie there more than anything.

 

“Stop. Just stop ok? I can’t take it. I should’ve never kissed you. This was all a huge mistake. Coming here was mistake. Letting you in was a mistake. Wanting to be your friend was a mistake. Falling in love with you was the biggest mistake I ever made because I can’t fix it and I’ll be hurting for the rest of my life and you not leaving me alone is only making it worse. I made a mistake, thinking I had a chance and for that I’m sorry. I’m sorry you’re in this fucking mess that is my life. Turns out me thinking that you could love be back it was just an illusion. So, please Evie. Please stop.”

 

Mal didn’t yell. Instead her voice came out quiet and with such an incredible amount of hurt and pain behind it. It made Evie wish she had yelled at the top of her lungs because it would’ve hurt less.

 

Mal let out a sob, before walking away from Evie once more. And Evie couldn’t possibly go after her because the pain coursing through her body was absolutely unbearable.

 

‘A mistake.’ Mal thought Evie was a mistake in her life and that was possibly the single worst thing that Mal has ever said to her. Evie’s tears ran free as realization hit her in the face like a brick wall.

 

There was no way around it anymore. It was like all of the fog cleared out from Evie’s mind, all at once. Evie had been confused for nothing because it was clear as water that she had indeed feelings for Mal, or else all of this would’ve been so much easier and she probably wouldn’t be in so much pain. Of course, Evie couldn’t walk away from Mal, she didn’t want to. How she craved for the girl’s attention, how she didn’t want Mal to think of her as a mistake, as someone she’d rather forget. How Mal made her feel safer than she had ever felt in such a short amount of time. She was feeling lost but she also found herself. And Evie realized that she had little to no time left to make a change. They were leaving the next morning.

 

Evie made a bunch of decisions in that moment. She decided she wasn’t going to give up on Mal. She decided to give in to what she was feeling, instead of letting uncertainty cloud her judgement. So, Evie ran. She had to find Mal.

 

//

 

Mal found her way to the van, slowly, only to find Uma leaning against it, like she had been waiting for Mal to show up.

 

“Get off of my fucking van.” Mal groaned, unwilling to deal with anyone, especially not Uma.

 

“Relax, I just want to talk.” Uma sighted.

 

“Well, I don’t.” Mal dryly answered starting to turn around.

 

“Just _listen_.” Uma’s tone caught Mal’s attention, so she stepped closer and crossed her arms, waiting for Uma to talk.

 

“I just came to say that I’m changing schools. My mother’s in town right now waiting for me. I need to go now if I want to start next week along with everyone else.”

 

From all the things Uma could’ve said, Mal was not expecting this one.

 

“Why?” Mal asked.

 

“I thought about it, and I realized it’s what’s best for everyone.” Uma answered with honesty.

 

“You do realize you’re just running away from the mess you made right?” Mal scoffed, incredulous.

 

“Yes. But it’s a mess I can’t fix because none of you are willing to let me fix it, I made sure of that. And there are matters of the heart that I can’t really do anything about.” Uma replied, also crossing her arms.

 

“You crossed a line Uma, you really did. We’re not friendly anymore but I never once tried to ruin what you and Harry had. Or tried to kill you for that matter.” Mal pointed out rather annoyed.

 

“I know.” Uma sheepishly replied. “That’s why I’m leaving. I want to start over somewhere where my mistakes won’t follow.”

 

“Those weren’t mistakes, those were choices you made Uma. You always have a choice and you always let your pride get in the way of what you really want. Unless you admit that to yourself, not even moving to Mars will help your case. If you’re really going away, at least pull your head out of your ass.” Mal angrily stated, her pulse rising more and more with how done she was with Uma’s crap. But the little voice inside her head was yelling because of the hypocrisy of Mal’s words. She just called Uma out, yet she also claimed that everything with Evie had been a mistake. ‘Damn it Mal.’ She thought.

 

Uma said nothing, thinking about what Mal said. Maybe the evil fairy wasn’t so wrong or so bad after all.

 

“Maybe one day I’ll come back. Maybe I’ll be different then. And maybe you all will be willing to give me a chance to make the right choices then.”

 

Mal looked into Uma’s dark eyes. She meant it. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for her poor unfortunate soul. So, Mal nodded.

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Here.” Uma’s hand came out of her pocket and she threw a key at Mal. “Since we’re moving out of town, we won’t be back so soon. Keep the keys. You and everyone else can come here whenever you want. Or not at all. Just hang on to it, will you?” Uma explained, shoving her hand back into her pocket. Mal was quite surprised that Uma would want her, of all people, to keep the key to her beach house.

 

“Uhm…Sure.” Mal clumsily answered.

 

Uma started walking and stopped next to Mal, dropping a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Hang in there Mal. The princess likes you too. You’re not out of luck just yet.” Uma said with a tiny, tiny smirk. Then she just kept walking leaving Mal to process those words, mouthing a breathless ‘What?’.

 

“Uma?” Mal called out. Uma turned around.

 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

 

Uma nodded and left. Mal’s brain was hurting and Uma’s words were burning the back of her mind.

 

**‘The princess likes you too.’**

Uma had been right before. When Uma accused Mal of falling for Evie, she was right. Was Uma also right this time? She couldn’t be. Evie didn’t kiss her back after all.

 

And, because life had a way of startling Mal, as soon as Evie flooded Mal’s mind, she also appeared out of nowhere and out of breath, looking slightly less lost after locking eyes with Mal. Mal’s gut did the thing.

 

“Mal..” Evie breathed out, still recovering.

 

“Evie wh- “

 

“Tell me you believe in love.” Evie demanded.

 

Mal could hear that sound a computer makes when there’s an error inside her head, because she was once more unable to function. Evie might be out of breath from running around, but Mal’s breath was also taken away by Evie.

 

“I-I do.” Mal blurted out. She wasn’t so sure she did anymore, but it’s not like she could stop herself from being ridiculous and incoherent around the blue haired beauty.

 

“It’s not an illusion.” Evie took a deep breath and stepped closer. Mal didn’t step away. Because she could see it in Evie’s eyes. Determination. Determination like she had never seen on Evie before. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“About us. You said me liking you back was just an illusion. I’m here to prove you wrong.”

 

Before Mal could answer Evie was already pushing Mal against the van and kissing the purple haired girl who was surprised, confused and startled for a second and in the next was completely giving in and kissing Evie back igniting a fire way more powerful than any flame she had ever concocted through her magical abilities. It was similar to when she kissed the princess back in the room, yet different. Different, because this time Evie was kissing back. And Mal never felt so good. The taste of apples and cinnamon was back in her mouth and Mal intended to savor it. But not just that. Mal was basking on the feeling of being wanted by Evie. Of being loved by Evie. Evie hadn’t said much but Mal could tell everything from the hungry way Evie’s lips were moving along with her own. Evie wanted this. Evie wanted Mal.

 

Evie felt it too. The incredible burn that was heating up her whole body, like a bunch of fireworks exploded inside her chest, the taste of strawberries in her mouth, the hunger, the passion coursing through her veins. She had felt all of it the first time around but now she was absolutely sure of what she was doing, letting her emotions run free and letting that sense of freedom command her desire and her will. And Mal was not disappointing. Of course not. Mal wanted this. Mal wanted Evie.

 

They eventually had to stop so they could breathe.

 

“ **Fuck**...” Mal breathed out, completely dumbstruck. Evie touched Mal’s forehead. Then she remembered Uma's words. 'Talk about **bloody** foreshadowing.' Mal thought. Not that she was complaining or anything.

 

“I’m sorry I took this long.” Evie whispered.

 

“No, don’t, it’s ok I get it Evie...I’m sorry I pushed you away.” Mal immediately replied, now feeling more ashamed than ever.

 

“I completely understand. It’s ok Mal.”

 

Mal smiled but had tears in her eyes from how overwhelmed she was feeling. Evie chuckled and cupped Mal’s cheeks, ignoring how her own eyes were watering too.

 

“It’s not an illusion to me. I promise falling for me won’t be a mistake.” Evie softly said.

 

Mal looked down.

 

“I don’t think you’re a mistake. I never thought that. I was trying to push you away.” Mal quietly answered.

 

“Well I wasn’t going to leave or give up on you. I was just really scared. I needed some time and a little push. You were my first kiss you know?”

 

“Then I sure hope I didn’t disappoint.” Mal’s smirk creeped in.

 

“Hmm...Let me see…” Evie pecked Mal’s lips again and left the smaller girl craving for more as she pulled away just as fast. “I think you’re approved.” Evie giggled.

 

“That’s a fucking beautiful sound, right there.” Mal said what was inside her head completely unfiltered and after processing the fact that her thoughts were said out loud she could feel her cheeks burning. Which just made Evie giggle again.

 

“You’re cute.” Evie replied.

 

Mal grinned and Evie’s eyes sparkled at the sight of Mal’s dashing smile and Mal’s dimples.

 

“We uhm, we have to actually talk about this right?” Mal questioned, clumsily pointing to both of them and the little space between them.

 

“We do. I guess we have a lot to talk about. But right now, how about we make the most of the time we have left, with our friends?” Evie suggested, wearing that big bright smile that fills her face and lights up her eyes, one Mal was already lost in. Mal was lost in Evie’s blue wavy locks, in Evie’s red-brown eyes, in Evie in general.

 

“Yeaaaaah...” Mal was indeed so lost she dragged her one word reply and Evie felt so happy. Happy because no one had ever looked at her the way Mal was looking just now. And Evie wondered if Mal could see the absolute adoration and wonder that Evie was feelings towards her. The same way Mal lost herself in Evie, Evie lost herself in Mal’s dimples, Mal’s bright green eyes, Mal’s dark purple hair, Mal as a human being.

 

“C’mon, let’s go inside.” Evie suggested.

 

“Is this the part where you let me hold your hand?” Mal timidly asked.

 

Evie offered her hand with a warm smile. Evie realized just how much she loved when Mal was cautions and careful with her.

 

“Shall we?”

 

Mal, content like she hadn’t been in…well, ever, took Evie’s hand in hers.

 

“We shall.”

 

And hand holding, the two girls went inside, together.

 

**Loving each other was not an illusion after all.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyaaaaaaa! 
> 
> I'm so sorry this one took a little longer, but college is trying to kick my ass and I didn't want to update a half assed chapter.
> 
> ALSO, THIS FIC REACHED AND NOW SURPASSED 1K!! YOU GUYS!! I AM SO THANKFUL FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU FOR KEEPING UP WITH ME, FOR ALL THE KUDOS, ALL THE NICE STUFF YOU GUYS WRITE IN THE COMMENT SECTION, EVERYTHING!
> 
> We're almost at the end so, I hope y'all like this one.
> 
> See you next chapter :) x
> 
> (Also, if any of you are interested i'm also on twitter and tumblr.  
> Twitter: @swanjonhesonice   
> Tumblr: @imharryaf)


	7. This Is Us

If anyone ever told Mal what the outcome of this week on the beach would be, she would tell them they were crazy.

 

But there she was. On her last night, surrounded by her friends, roasting marshmallows on the improvised campfire the boys lit up on the beach house’s backyard and most importantly, sitting on Evie’s lap. Evie. The girl she spent so much of her time hating on, was now someone Mal didn’t want to lose. Was now someone Mal fell in love with.

 

Evie couldn’t help but giggle at Carlos and Jay’s new-found happiness for their friends not only figuring things out between each other but also the exciting step they were willing to take from that day on.

 

“They’re almost happier than we are.” Mal whispered.

 

Evie hummed in response with a bright smile.

 

After everyone was settled Carlos was the one to open the conversation.

 

“Isn’t this nice?”

 

Everyone agreed.

 

“To be sitting here now and see how this week started and how it’s ending? Unreal.” Jay added, shifting on his seat to make sure Carlos was comfortable on his lap. Carlos held a soft smile for him.

 

“If you had told me this was the outcome I’d tell you to see yourself out. I still don’t know how the hell I ended up on a beach house.” Mal half laughed and Evie joined her. What a beautiful sound it was.

 

“Your impulsive ass said yes and hung up on me before I could finish, that’s how.” Jay snorted. That earned laughs from everyone, including Evie.

 

“ _That’s_ how it happened?” Evie asked curiously.

 

“Yes!”

 

“Fuck off!”

 

Jay and Mal answered at the same time, earning more laughs. Mal felt kind of embarrassed because she knows that if she knew Evie was going before hand, she wouldn’t have been there. Evie felt her tensing up and rested her hands on Mal’s stomach.

 

“It’s ok, if I knew you were coming, I would’ve found a way out too.” Evie confessed making Mal gasp and everyone watch them curiously.

 

“You too huh?” Mal asked, feeling her cheeks heating up.

 

“Yeah.” Evie sheepishly admitted.

 

“I didn’t want to come, if I’m being honest. But Uma wanted to, so I tagged along and made Gil come so I wouldn’t be alone. Perhaps it was a good thing aye?” Harry joined the conversation.

 

“Uma made some poor choices this week, but we became closer over it. It’s kind of ironic really.” Carlos replied.

 

“What do you think is going to happen to her?” Mal asked.

 

“Who knows.” Evie answered. “But Carlos is right. We’re here now, in this new place in our lives and we actually have her to thank for it.”

 

“I’m not thanking her for trying to drown me.” Mal mumbled under her breath.

 

“Or for manipulating me.” Harry added.

 

“That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry.” Evie regretted her words but seeing as Mal and Harry started to laugh she pouted.

 

“We know lass, we know.” Harry grinned at her.

 

Still, Evie hugged Mal tighter.

 

“I’m sorry.” Evie whispered in Mal’s ear.

 

Mal giggled and kissed Evie in the cheek as gently as she possibly could.

 

“It’s ok, we were just messing with you. Hey, I love you.” Mal whispered back and Evie smiled, content to hear those three words.

 

“Do you think things would’ve been the same if one of us hadn’t come?” Gil asked making up a really good discussion point, giving the conversation another angle.

 

“Nah, I don’t think so. If I hadn’t come, Uma wouldn’t have tried to blackmail me and Harry would still be with her. And I wouldn’t have taken my head out of my ass and I wouldn’t be with you.” Mal answered, shifting her attention to Evie during the last sentence which made her smile widely.

 

Harry nodded, seeming content with how things turned out, despite the initial shock.

 

“I also say no. I think most of us had a very wrong idea of each other thus far and everything that happened lead to this moment of understanding, sharing and friendship. And more.” Evie added, winking at Mal.

 

“Look at you, all poetic.” Jay teased.

 

“I learnt from the best.” Evie pointed out, making Jay smile, a little embarrassed.

 

“So, after this do you think we’re still going to be mates?” Harry asked.

 

“What do you mean after this? Like, in school?” Gil inquired.

 

“Aye, in school and after school. It’s our senior year after all. We’re probably all going away to college after that.” Harry said, looking around for answers.

 

“Has anyone decided what to do after high school?” Jay asked.

 

There was a pause as everyone seemed to give it a little thought.

 

“Arts. Something like that. I’m not passionate about any other area. Plus, I’m good at it.” Mal was the first to answer.

 

“Engineering of some sorts. I love a good challenge. Or being a vet. Still haven’t quite decided.” Carlos followed.

 

“Fashion and design. I don’t see myself doing anything else.” Evie quietly added.

 

“I want to pursue nautics because I always loved the sea and how it makes me feel. If I’m not too old maybe I’ll join the navy. If I don’t get the grades, maybe I’ll ditch college and be a lifeguard.” Harry replied.

 

“I still don’t know how it’s going to turn out. If I get a scholarship and a contract, I’ll go for managing being a professional athlete and a coaching career for when the high performance is over. If I don’t get the first two things, coaching it is.” Jay explained.

 

“I don’t know about college. I like helping people, maybe I’ll go away somewhere and help those in need. Or a job as a firefighter.” Gil sheepishly admitted.

 

There was another pause. Just like everyone thought. In a year, everyone would be going their separate ways, to pursue their dreams, goals or to simply build a future that they’ll be proud of. And somehow none of the answers were a complete surprise to anyone.

 

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I’d like to keep my boyfriend and my friends.” Carlos then announced.

 

“Fuck I agree, I came too far to lose it all.” Mal added and the determination in her voice made Evie smile. Evie just knew Mal was talking about their progress.

 

“Yeah, do you want my e-mail now or shall I give you later?” Jay teased Harry for his initial question, making everyone laugh.

 

“Of course, we’ll be friends.” Gil stated.

 

“I’m just glad that we did this.” Carlos said. Jay held him impossibly close and pecked his lips. Carlos hummed happily.

 

“I’m so glad too. That we all in some way are a little freer now. This? **_This is us_**. Nothing more, nothing less.” Harry stated with his signature devilish grin of his happily in place.

 

Everyone seemed to agree and the little heartfelt moment was replaced by shenanigans, with the boys running around with water guns, jumping over the fire and then the girls being way better than them.

 

Jay grabbed a deck of cards and challenged everyone to play some poker. Mal was very competitive and couldn’t wait to whoop their asses but there was something more important.

 

“I’ll be right there to make you beg for your lives. Just give us a moment.” Mal grabbed Evie’s hand while the boys went inside sat on the kitchen counter.

 

Carlos was shuffling the cards and Harry sat next to him.

 

“Who would’ve thought ay?” Harry commented, pointing vaguely in the direction of the girls.

 

“Who would’ve thought indeed.” Jay replied, sitting between Gil and Harry and spreading the game chips on the table.

 

“I always had hope they’d find a way to overcome their problems and be friends, but I wasn’t expecting them to fall in love.” Carlos confessed with a laugh.

 

“What shocked me the most was Mal taking the lead. Mal kissed Evie. Mal confessed her feelings and not the other way around. Mal usually doesn’t do feelings.” Jay said while separating the chips.

 

“Evie really had an impact on her.” Gil added, helping Jay.

 

“And Mal also had a huge impact on Evie. Evie is not this reckless.” Carlos wisely said, handing out the cards to each of his friends.

 

All the boys nodded in agreement.

 

“Alright, let’s get this party started!” Jay yelled with a boyish grin on his face.

 

Meanwhile, outside, the girls were paying no attention to the developments of the poker game held inside.

 

“Shouldn’t we be playing with them?” Evie asked but she was curious as to why Mal pushed her aside.

 

“We will. But how about we have that talk now?” Mal replied.

 

Evie wanted to talk to Mal about so many things. And apparently, so did Mal.

 

“Ok.” Evie agreed.

 

The girls sat across from each other on the grass. Evie was expecting Mal to be the first to start until she half smirked.

 

“I don’t really know how to start girl talk. Or any emotional type of conversation.” Mal admitted.

 

“Give it a try.” Evie encouraged her with a smirk of her own. Mal knew she wasn’t excellent at these things but she found herself grateful that Evie didn’t do the job for her. Evie knew that Mal could and should fight her own battles, either physical or internal, and all she needed was a little push. That gave Mal what she needed to at least start the conversation.

 

“Well…I’m a mess. I know we ended up in a good place but I feel that I did so many things the wrong way. If we’re doing this- “ Mal pointed clearly to both of them meaning a future official relationship. “-then I want to make sure we’re 100% ok. I want to make things right you know? Because I want this Evie. I want you.” Mal started off quite shaky but when Evie grabbed both her hands, all the anxiety seemed to disappear.

 

“I feel the same way. Don’t be so hard on yourself Mal. I wasn’t an example either.” Evie reassured her.

 

“It’s just…Things could’ve been so different you know? We could’ve been together longer. We’d be friends, then best friends, then sisters and then more. If only I hadn’t been so stubborn and so hateful. You, the person I spent most of my time unfairly hating, showed me that I went about us all wrong. Made me question what type of person I am. If I’m even worthy of being loved by you, after the way I treated you.” Mal was staring at Evie’s face, trying her best to keep the eye contact and also to see how Evie would respond.

 

“We have no way of knowing if we’d be together or even friends Mal. I didn’t help your case, by being small minded and shallow.”

 

“You’re not any of that and you were a child. But continue.” Mal swiftly stepped in.

 

“I also unfairly hated you, you were also a child and you are worthy of my love and of love in general. Let me finish you dork.” Evie effectively replied with a half-smile.

 

Mal nodded enthusiastically.

 

“What I’m trying to say is that we both were wrong. We were wrong to think the way that we thought about each other and one thing led to another. But I believe some things are meant to happen a certain way and after this week, I think we were meant to find our way to each other just like this, with all the problems and mistakes. No one’s perfect and that’s what makes life such a thrilling experience. Because we get to learn. The not so good feelings are the less appealing part of life but they are needed nonetheless. And I’m glad things happened like this. I’m not saying I’m an expert now, but I grew a little more thanks to you. And I want this too Mal, I want you.” Evie finished her line of thought and Mal could feel her eyes burn. No one ever spoke to her with the softness and the gentle way that Evie was speaking to her in that moment.

 

“I also grew a lot thanks to you. Maybe we were meant to close the space between us like this. I just feel like we wasted so much time. In a year we’re going to college.” Mal pointed out.

 

Mal’s statement gave Evie some pause.

 

“Maybe we did...Do you think we can do this if we go to different colleges?” Evie asked and Mal could see it. Evie was both very confident about her feelings and very unsure of the future.

 

Mal was usually the sceptic one but Evie’s words echoed in the back of her mind.

 

“I think we can do anything if we want it enough.” Mal replied, squeezing Evie’s hands.

 

“Plus, arts and fashion? Maybe we get to be closer than we think.” Mal added and her words seemed to lift Evie’s worried soul.

 

“Then we do this Mal, and we do it together.” Evie stated making their foreheads touch. Mal closed her eyes and held on to the softness of Evie’s skin touching her own.

 

“We deal with stuff together from now on. Good and bad.” Mal agreed.

 

Evie giggled. Which made Mal laugh as well.

 

“If we’re really doing this...Evie, would you give me the honor of being my girlfriend?” Mal asked, her pale skin going completely red.

 

“Aw, I wanted to ask!” Evie protested, however she had a stupidly big smile on her face.

 

Mal pecked her nose.

 

“I’ll let you propose E, how’s that?” Mal suggested, with a teasing smirk.

 

“Excuse me, did I just hear _you_ nickname _me_?” Evie teased back making Mal blush even harder.

 

“I guess I did.” Mal mumbled trying to hide her face.

 

Evie lifted her chin. Mal could see her watery smile.

 

“Of course, I’ll be your girlfriend M.” Evie stated brushing Mal’s cheek.

 

“Oh, I get a nickname too?” Mal’s smirk was more dashing than ever and Evie happily hummed in response.

 

“Kiss me you fool.” Evie demanded.

 

Mal didn’t need to be told twice and her lips found Evie’s in what was a rewarding and passionate kiss. Intense but soft. A perfect mix of Mal and Evie that exploded in both of their lips. Nothing else mattered, as long as they could keep kissing like that.

 

As their lips parted ways, Mal and Evie decided not to join the boys just yet. Instead, after Mal made sure the boys were way too busy trying to bluff and scam each other, they stayed there in silence as Mal used her magic to make the backyard look like it was full of tiny, shiny fireflies, much to Evie’s awe and admiration over such a breathtaking sight.

 

Evie truly felt like she was in the best side of any fairytale. For the first time in…well, forever, the night wasn’t scary. Because she was sitting next to Mal, watching the sparkling dots roam by, combined with a clear night sky full of stars and the soothing sound of the ocean waves crashing in the distance.

 

What an absolute bliss, Evie thought.

 

And Mal was blissfully happy as well.

 

The look on Evie face was everything and Mal wanted it to never fade. Evie was Mal’s breathtaking sight. The way Evie’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. The way the light was illuminating Evie’s beautiful complexion. The way the light danced in Evie’s blue wavy and long locks reminded Mal of how the light would dance on the ocean surface. Suddenly the ocean didn’t seem so scary. Because it reminded her of Evie.

 

Mal felt so lucky. Which reminded her…

 

“E?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You know, I realized something.” Mal started and there was a soothing tone to her voice. She sounded so peaceful, Evie thought.

 

“What is it M?”

 

Mal timidly smiled and answered Evie’s question in a soft but firm, happy whisper. An answer that needed no further explanation as both girls knew exactly the deep meaning behind it. An answer that brought tears to Evie’s eyes and the brightest smile to Evie’s lips. An answer that lingered as this tiny chapter of their lives closed while a new exciting one was about to open, waiting for them to walk through it, hand in hand, Mal and Evie, Evie and Mal. Together.

 

“…You’re my **_four-leaf clover_**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys!!!!!! Hey!!!! Yes I'm alive hahahaha
> 
> I'm so sorry I took this long to update but college wouldn't let me truly focus on writing a good chapter. This one is a little shorter than the last few ones and it's also the last on this story! I feel like the story took it's natural course (thus why this chapter is shorter, it just felt natural and it wouldn't feel as nice if I tried to drag it somehow) and it felt right to wrap it up right here on chapter 7. So I hope you guys enjoy the most deserved fluff, the found family feels and the happy ending (or shall I say happy beginning) I always intended for Mal and Evie to have. And if you miss them too much, this fic will always be here for you guys to re-read whenever you feel like it.
> 
> I want to thank each and every one of you that gave this story, that gave me a chance, for all your dedication on the comment section, for all the kudos, for all the hits I thought this story would never have haha
> 
> And don't you worry. This probably is not the last you see of me ;)
> 
> Anyways this note is huge at this point, so yeah, thank you so much again and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> See you soon :) x
> 
> ( Twitter: @swanjonhesonice // Tumblr: @imharryaf )


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